


The Manipulator

by TheGirlInTheBlackVeil



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Emotional Constipation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fix-It, M/M, Princess Morgana, Protective Arthur, Uther's insane, dark(ish) Merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-12
Updated: 2016-09-18
Packaged: 2018-08-14 14:41:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 42,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8018002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGirlInTheBlackVeil/pseuds/TheGirlInTheBlackVeil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin hadn't set out for Camelot with the intention to manipulate anyone but when it came down to kill or be killed Merlin was going to be the one doing the killing. </p><p>They called him The Manipulator so that is what he became.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So my original goal was to publish a fic a month over the summer. I didn't reach that goal but decided I'd at least get one short piece out before classes resumed. Well I missed that goal too (only by four days though!). Arguably this was only supposed to be short (~5000 word) but it just kind of grew and grew and now it's over 40 000 words. As such I haven't had the chance to edit it all yet and have decided to break it up in chapters so I can at least begin posting it. It is all written but it needs editing so I'm hoping to get the rest edited (and divided into chapters) and uploaded by the end of the week. Also apologies for the (lack of) editing for this chapter I only ran through it once while falling asleep so there are probably a number of errors I did not catch. Unfortunately after this it's unlikely you'll hear from me until after the term is done, once we start it's difficult to find time to sleep, let alone time to write.

It was supposed to have been a normal night, a peaceful night. Merlin, Arthur, and his closest knights were supposed to spend the evening at  _The Rising Sun_  just to relax and “get a read on the people” as Arthur says. They had all dressed casually and perhaps for that reason very few patrons even looked up upon their entrance and that was when things went pear shaped. Arthur was furious, had demanded Merlin wait in his chambers as he dealt with the prisoner. Merlin couldn’t help but worry for the man, he hadn’t really been doing anything wrong, Merlin had become accustom to these types of things going on behind the king’s back. The issue was that this time it hadn’t been behind Arthur’s back because the man hadn’t even realized the king had entered the tavern before Arthur was demanding his arrest ending a peaceful night before it could even begin. Not that Merlin thought it would have been a peaceful night, he had been against the idea from the start for this very reason.

Just then Arthur barges into the chambers in all his royal glory even if he is dressed only in a plain, white tunic and low slung, simple, brown breeches he manages to portray the very image of nobility. “I’ve been too lenient,” he announces much too loudly, fetching the water pitcher and pouring a goblet before downing it, chances are he has practically yelled himself hoarse, “my father would never have put up with such disrespect, such insolence, and while I believe my father much too strict and hasty with his punishments at least the people obeyed his command. There were few who opposed him as they do me, I dare not follow my father’s footsteps but this is too much.” He creases his pacing slamming his palms down on the table at which Merlin sits. “Damn it Merlin! Say something!”

“I’ve nothing to say, Sire.”

“That man tried to justify his actions by claiming that everyone shares his opinions, that many speak out against me when I’m not present. At first I thought it was a ploy to lessen his sentence but I’m inclined to believe him. You see more than I Merlin, tell me, do my people still defy me?”

Merlin submissively looks down at his clasped hands, “Yes, Sire.” Merlin flinches as Arthur hurdles a chair into the nearby wall causing it to splinter into toothpicks.

“And is it true that my men turn a blind eye to these actions, my soldiers, my councillors, my knights?”

“It is true.”

“Then how can I even enforce my laws? Patrols are useless, do I have to offer some kind of reward for every criminal they catch for them to finally stop turning a blind eye? Do I have to hunt down the criminals myself? Can I trust no one to be honest?”

“You can trust me!” Merlin shouts breaking his silence.

“Can I? Forgive me then because I must be really stupid for you haven’t  _once_  come to me to report anything, you haven’t  _once_  arrested anyone or punished them. Have you so much as scolded them?” Arthur steps towards him then and clasps Merlin’s cool hands in his sweaty ones, sinking to his knees (his feet must be swollen) and bringing their joined hands to his lips to brush a kiss against Merlin’s knuckles. “Why don’t you punish them, my love? It’s been years, you deserve their respect, have committed no wrongs against them and yet they continue to doubt your loyalty, they continue to besmirch your good name, everything you have done for me, for Camelot. It’s been too long and the situation isn’t improving and while I respect the strength you have shown by ignoring their hateful comments I fear it will become worse, that they’ll attempt to humiliate you, to harm you. While I know they normally stand no chance against you I fear that they’ll catch you with your guard down… I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He’s close to tears, nuzzling at their joined hands until Merlin stops and soothes him by cupping his face.

“Hush now, you’d carry on just as you have been, uniting Albion and retaining the peace. You need not fear though, I’ve no intention of letting my guard down, of leaving you.”

“That’s hardly fair to you though is it? That’s the real reason you won’t take a servant, you can’t trust anyone. Even if they aren’t going to stick a blade through your heart when you sleep, poison you, or attempt to implicate you in something horrible that doesn’t mean they won’t make your life difficult; misplacing your boots, rolling up documents before they are dry, washing your clothes to make them itchy and stiff, sending you on wild goose chases through the palace, just generally being annoying and hateful. That’s the reason, isn’t it?”

“Arthur…” he warns but Arthur just goes on.

“I don’t care if you think you can go without a servant, you do too much as it is Merlin, you deserve to be taken care of and while I’d love to do that for you I’m the king and I don’t always have time, especially now that I tire so easily.”

“Oh please, you’d hardly know how to darn my socks or wash most of my robes, nor can I imagine you’d want to fetch my meals or empty my chamber pot.”

“You’re right but I wouldn’t mind dressing you, bathing you, waking you up in the morning.” Arthur smiles before shaking himself out of his happy reverie scowling again.

“The prisoner is to receive five lashes tomorrow morning in the town square. If anything like this happens again the perpetrator will receive double that.” Arthur makes to leave the room and inform the guards but Merlin stops him.

“Arthur, you can’t.”

“I’m the king Merlin, I can do what I want.”

“Just listen to me for one moment!”

Arthur visibly deflates, “Fine, what is it?”

“The people will view this act with suspicion it’s why I never tell you of these things. We have to believe that if left to their own devices these rumors will eventually die, if we retaliate they’ll be given even more fuel. Like you said your father was much too strict with his punishments, people simply feared him, even back then people defied him, they just did so in secret. With this situation, when even the majority of your men aren’t reinforcing your beliefs, it’ll be impossible to physically stop this, anyone we do catch is simply at risk of turning against you, calling you cruel and violent, a tyrant like your father.”

“I have always been fair and just to my people, and while there will always be some who believe the taxes are too high or the services received in exchange too meagre I have always provided the best for my people. Perhaps this is rather drastic but I’ve exhausted all other methods, it isn’t petty, they’ll come to see that showing you the respect you deserve is also the best for the kingdom.”

“It  _is_  petty Arthur. You just said that there will always be people who claim the taxes are too high, that you waste their money on feasts and fine clothes while they have nothing and yet you do not act this way when you hear them speak of this. Why should my case be any different? I’m hardly going to stop protecting you or Camelot just because a few people think ill of me. Nor am I going to do a better job of it if they throw feasts in my honour. I was protecting you and this kingdom even when magic was illegal, I used to risk my life everyday just by being near you, risking a few rotten fruits to the head is nothing in comparison.”

“They’ve been pelting you with fruit?!” Arthur asks enraged, and maybe Merlin shouldn’t have said that bit because he can see another rant coming on.

“I thought their words and glares were the brunt of it but to attempt to humiliate you in such a way?! My decision is final Merlin. This isn’t just about you now, they’ve made it personal, you are my consort, my right hand, insulting you in such a manner is an insult to me as well. I am their king, they must accept my decisions and if they don’t like it they can either suck it up and suffer silently or leave Camelot.” Arthur, having deemed the conversation is over, storms out of his chambers and back down to the dungeons, Merlin trails his heels.

“Arthur, please, I’m begging you this will only make it worse. Think of what’s good for the kingdom, you’re trying to achieve peace and unite these lands, by doing this you’ll scare off peasants and knights alike, we’ll have less men to protect the kingdom, more enemies willing to sell our secrets, less goods to trade, and if we have a small military and produce less than our allies might no longer deem it necessary to be out allies.” They’ve already covered many flights and are on the final flight to the dungeons when Arthur whirls on him.

“Then what do you propose we do?” He manages to use a remarkably strong voice considering how out of breath he is and Merlin again spares a thought to how he really shouldn’t be working himself up like this, it’s not good for his health.

“Do nothing Arthur, release the man, show compassion, clemency. He’s old and foolish, he knows nothing but Uther’s ways, he still thinks that magic is evil. If you have him lashed he’ll probably die and if he doesn’t it’ll just reinforce his hatred, he’ll spread more rumours to all those who will listen about how you are enchanted.”

Arthur sighs, “Fine.”

And Merlin instantly brightens, “Really?”

“Yes, but he’s going to apologize to you first, come on.” The guards stand at attention as the king and his warlock pass, when they reach the cell that holds the old man Arthur demands it be opened and they must step inside because the man refuses to move from the darkness of the corner to come towards the door. Merlin reads the man’s posture as a cross between trembling in fear and faux bravery.

“Evan, earlier this evening you insulted both Merlin and by extension myself by spreading rumors and questioning the goodness of Merlin’s character. I want it to be clear that it wasn’t just because we overheard that your actions are treasonous but because  _others_  overheard. Because of this everyone listening tonight in the tavern has heard your words, you’ve planted your inappropriate beliefs in their heads and like a disease they will spread. If what you say is true then this “disease” has already spread too far and needs to be quarantined before even more people can be infected. Yet from what I hear my current warnings and punishment of an afternoon in the stocks for anyone who questions magic’s place, and by extension Merlin’s place, in my kingdom is ineffective rectifying the situation. As of tonight the punishment for a first offence is to be ten lashes in the square—“

“Arthur!”

“—a repeated offence will lead to banishment. Refusing to leave or returning will result in death by hanging.”

“Sire, I thought we had agreed upon this.” Merlin says out of the side of his mouth.

“Hush, Merlin. Evan, you are old and arguably not quite in your right mind due to the amount of ale you’ve consumed, seeing as I’d yet to announce this new punishment I thought five lashings more suitable.”

Evan bows and says, “Thank you sire, your kind heart still shows through.” Which, to Merlin’s trained ear, is the equivalent of ‘you’re still fighting his enchantments because despite how evil and strong he is your father raised you to resist magic. Keep resisting, you must be rid of him’. Perhaps Arthur also hears it because he scowls.

“I was going to tell you that Merlin here thought you should be released without punishment, wasn’t that kind of him? But I’m not sure I like your tone just now. I think my original sentence stands.”

“What are you doing, just let him go!”

“I’m the king, your argument has reasoning but I don’t know how you can even bare to share air with this trash, I feel sick just looking at him Merlin! Here I am ready to grant him pardon in exchange for an apology and he’s spitting it back in my face! Is there even a point in letting him go? Should I not just kill him now? We both know his type Merlin, he won’t stop, won’t rest, until one of you is dead. Even when he is dead there will be others ready to take his place but if we kill him now he won’t have the opportunity to create even more people that share his beliefs.”

“Hold on just one moment! We come down here to free this man and now you’re talking about executing him? He might not be the nicest or most intelligent of people, and alright you and I both hate what he was saying but he’s still one of your citizens, you’re supposed to protect them not slaughter them!”

“I’m their king, not their father! I shouldn’t have to teach them right from wrong, if I set a rule they should follow it without needing punishment to teach them to do so, they should want to follow me, to please me. If that is not the case then they should leave instead of trying to change the way things are done by going behind my back! I gave them a choice years ago as to how thing would be and they chose this, chose me, and now they turn against their word, against me.”

“They aren’t trying to change things Arthur! Most of them don’t even mean harm by what they do and say. They’re just scared of change and trying to adapt to it the only way they know how, by banding together and casting judgement.”

“Upon you. Casting judgement upon  _you_. Hating  _you_ , fearing  _you_! I won’t have it!” Arthur unsheathes his dagger and plunges it into the man’s chest. Rather, he would have if his arm hadn’t been held back by an unseen, but forceful, grip. Arthur is unable to move at all and Evan has stumbled back, falling into the corner and hitting his head on the way down but Merlin cannot tell if it’s fear or the injury that causes Evan’s behaviour. Merlin reaches down and lifts the man back to his feet, carding through his thinning grey hair in search of any bumps or gashes, “Your head appears to be fine.” He announces and then magically undoes the shackles. “You’re free to go, isn’t he Arthur?” He says the last part as if he is a parent attempting to get his child to apologize and feel sorry for their actions.

“Merlin, I want him—“

“ _Arthur_.” Merlin warns.

Arthur sighs out a big gust of air and says, “Fine! Get out of my sight, if I ever hear your name again you’ll be put to death without a trial.” The man does a hasty bow as he retreats backwards out of the cell, almost tripping on the raised threshold, before running away. Merlin drops the spell and Arthur resumes motion, putting the dagger away with a huff as they leave the cell and walk up the stairs out of the dungeon, Merlin allowing Arthur to lean on him.

“You should have let me kill him.” Arthur finally grumbles breaking the silence between them.

“Perhaps, now he’s seen me do exactly what he’s accused me of.”

“You didn’t manipulate me  _Mer_ lin, I could have still said no. Used magic on me, yes, changed my decision, yes, but you didn’t manipulate me.” They’ve reached Arthur’s chambers and Arthur helps himself to another goblet of water before Merlin begins to prepare him for bed, preforming his old duties as manservant despite the fact Arthur actually has George to do that for him now.

“Look, Merlin. I know that after hearing things repeated over and over again, especially by different people, can make something sound true but the fact of the matter is it doesn’t matter how many people say the sky is green, it never will be so there’s no use in doubting what I see. And what I see is an incredibly strong, intelligent, handsome and lovable man before me, and I pray to all the gods and goddesses that you don’t doubt what I see because despite what they say or how many times they say it, that is what you are Merlin. There isn’t a reason for anyone to dislike you and there certainly isn’t an evil bone in your body.”

“How kind of you Sire, if not somewhat contradictory, just this afternoon you were calling me an idiot and now I’m incredibly intelligent?” Merlin delivers it all with a straight face.

“Shut up Merlin.” Arthur says accompanied with an eye roll and a smile at which point Merlin smiles too. Arthur’s smile drops and there’s a lingering sadness in his eyes. Merlin hates that look, it means he’s failed to make Arthur happy, that Arthur feels he can’t trust him to tell him so. Finally Arthur says, “Let’s get to bed, it’s late.”

Despite the pretense it is obvious Arthur is exhausted, he falls asleep before Merlin even has a chance to blow out the last candle, and he hasn’t even stayed up to do any paperwork tonight. When Merlin cards his fingers through Arthur’s hair he unconsciously leans into the caress making Merlin smile. Sleep takes a long time to come to Merlin, his mind awash with worries about the future. He’s already spread too thin and he can’t request their friends sacrifice their time and wellbeing to help him. For now though Arthur remains safe within his arms and Merlin lovingly runs his hand along Arthur’s front repetitively until sleep finally takes him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got to love first day lectures where you spend the entire time going over the syllabus and then are released early (and even if you don't love them I'll persuade you by publishing this chapter. Maybe one more today if I finish editing before my lunch break is over).

If people don’t like something they’ll normally get rid of it. This is why so few people think themselves evil, if they did they’d be recognizing the fact that they don’t like themselves and be motivated to commit suicide. The brain, at least a healthy one, has many defense mechanisms to ensure survival of the individual and thus, survival of its offspring and the species as a whole. In this case the mechanism of interest will come to be known as the self-serving attribution bias. In other words, if someone thought what they were doing was fair and just they’d believe it was because of who they were as a person and if someone did something they thought was immoral or wrong they would blame their actions on the external factors of the specific situation.

It’s difficult to take on different perspectives but Merlin had always been a bright child and often found enjoyment in the task. By doing this he could understand why many magic users attempted to murder Camelot’s royal family or destroy the city even though they thought murder and harming others was wrong. They underwent something that would come to be known as cognitive dissonance, a justification of their actions by lessening their morals. Murdering one person couldn’t be that bad because if that one person was evil and guilty of genocide then one death would cause hundreds of innocent lives to be saved. They blamed Uther Pendragon for their actions, something that was almost as petty as one child pointing to another and claiming “he started it!”. Merlin also understood why Uther Pendragon justified the Great Purge and thought magic users were evil. His mind had been twisted by the loss of his beloved and magic had taken her life (even if a life was created in return) therefore Uther blamed magic for his wife’s death overgeneralizing both the event and who it concerned and deciding that all magic was evil, that all magic users and creatures were dangerous and manipulative and would wreak havoc. The acts of revenge committed by the magic community reinforced his beliefs and while individual citizens of Camelot might not have originally agreed with his views over time they forgot about the good magic could do. These old memories were replaced by the memories of the magical attacks that had caused them all to suffer, spreading the belief amongst themselves and now even to other kingdoms that everything magic was evil.

Before leaving Ealdor Merlin had never thought himself evil. He had known from a young age that some people believed magic to be evil, he knew that something as little as half a day’s trek could mean his existence was deemed illegal and that put him at risk of execution for the crime of being born. Being so close to the border Camelot’s beliefs had spread and while not illegal in Essetir magic had become feared and mistrusted. Some of the villagers were fearful enough that if they came to know about him they might be willing to make the journey to Camelot just to see him arrested, Camelot having already shown years ago that they were willing to persecute magic users outside their lands. King Cenred had shown himself to be passive about this matter not caring if the Camelot knights came into his land to destroy his villages and kill some peasants. Despite what others thought and some of the negative things he had associated with his magic (such as having to hide who he really was, not being able to stand up for himself against bullies, knowing his mother worried about him) Merlin knew that magic was not evil, he could feel it inside him and he had used it to do good things.

No one who had known him would have called him evil, mischievous perhaps, strange definitely, but not evil. He was always willing to help out someone in need, never cruel to any living thing, didn’t even think it funny to startle the chickens, didn’t find fun in roughhousing. So despite the magic Merlin had concluded that he was a good person.

But as already stated Merlin had always been bright, he was also attentive, he knew what people whispered about him now; they thought him evil, called him The Manipulator. Merlin was somewhat inclined to believe them now, examining his actions from a point of view other than his own he could agree that in the eyes of most he had committed many wrongs. Despite this Merlin’s biases allowed him to remain blissfully blind most of the time allowing him to justify his actions, whether they be the killings or the manipulation.

Manipulation seemed such a harsh term due to the negative stigma attached to it. He was hardly the first, nor would he be the last, to manipulate someone into doing something. People manipulated others into falling into bed with them, manipulated lower prices out of merchants, even children were known to manipulate those in the kitchens to give them food. Since the word “manipulate” had such a negative stigma alternative words were used, sometimes even created in order to ensure one was not thought of in a negative light. People  _seduced_ others into falling into bed with them,  _bartered_ lower prices out of merchants, even children were known to  _beg_  those in the kitchens to give them food. Even if people knew they were being manipulative they often didn’t think of their actions as such. A knight didn’t want to feel that he manipulated a lady into bed because that would imply that originally she did not want to be in his bed therefore he had forced her. It was much easier to think of seduction as being a confirmation of interest or as part of a game where the lady was playing hard-to-get. Many manipulations weren’t even done consciously such as when an infant manipulates its mother into caring for it, or a child manipulates another into being friends.

Human interaction is reliant upon manipulation. This was a fact Merlin actually learned from studying magic. Just like magic human interaction required a balance, a give and a take, a loss and a gain. A child might have to give up time playing with their toy because they share it with another child, that child though might then become their friend meaning that they gained a playmate. Citizens paid taxes to Camelot, in return Camelot gave them the protection of its army and walls, allowed them to sell their wares at the market, allowed them to make use of the cobbled streets and the wells and the grain stores. These thoughtless manipulations were harmless and this is where Merlin began.

Merlin had not gone to Camelot with the intent to manipulate, the then Prince, Arthur despite what people might have said. In fact Merlin hadn’t even been aware that the man he had approached was royalty, had actually kind of forgotten Camelot even had a prince. His first interaction with Arthur had been an attempt to fit in and make friends. He had figured he could save the poor man who they had been throwing knives at for no apparent reason. He wanted to make the most out of this new start and since his mother had forced him to keep his head down his entire life he wanted a chance to interact with people the way a normal person his age would. Merlin however was stubborn and at the time had strong opinions of right and wrong, felt a responsibility to educate people on the errors of their ways. Perhaps this was because he had just witnessed the execution of a man whose only given crime was the practice of magic, in other words an innocent man, it could have been him, still could be him, if everyone was still blindly believing that magic was evil. The mother, poor woman, hadn’t helped matters by making threats but if everyone took a moment to try to understand each other unclouded by their prejudices the world would be a better place.

One instance of public humiliation, one night in the cells and one morning in the stocks later Merlin’s decided the only type of manipulation he intends to do to the royal family from then on is going to be manipulating them into forgetting about him, making himself invisible to them. Being in the spotlight, especially for a negative reason such as threatening the prince, is not beneficial to a warlock whose existence is illegal and punishable by death. While his hopes about a fresh new start have been dampened somewhat he’s still determined to make the best of the situation, he’ll find a job, help Gaius in the meantime, keep his head down, maybe even try to befriend that nice woman with the dark skin, Gwen was her name, although she had said she was the maidservant of some lady, would that be endangering himself? Well she had called him brave and actually sought to meet him so she must have been interested in being friends with him, right? He’d become friends with her, he’d thank Gaius by staying in the man’s good book from here on out, he’d be extra careful practising magic and ensure to become invisible around the royal family, everything would be fine.

Everything was not fine. Unfortunately Merlin had rather distinct features for a peasant, everything from his face to his name was unusual making him easy to remember. Being easy to remember combined with the fact that apparently Prince Arthur was incapable of knowing to when to let things go, specifically it appeared that he lacked the ability to stop bragging about the fact that he had won their little fight, and the fact he was a right prat meant that he and Merlin found themselves in confrontation again. Merlin had tried to walk past with his head down when he had seen the other man, realizing it was too late to avoid him, but Arthur had been the one who called out, who drew him in. He had tried to ignore him but Arthur kept goading him and honestly Merlin wouldn’t be surprised if the prat tried to have him arrested for ignoring him. Merlin’s stupid pride as well as the fact that he wanted nothing to do with Prince Arthur and the assumption that if he evened out the score or humiliated the other man he might escape future confrontations caused him to be petty enough and stupid enough to use magic against Prince Arthur, in a mace fight, in public. Technically he had won though! Arthur had been on the floor and the only reason Merlin hadn’t gotten surrender out of him was because he caught sight of Gaius’ disappointed face, at which point Arthur decided to beat him with a broom. The prat really was just a muscled thug with a puny brain, it had  _hurt_.

Somewhere along the way Merlin had met a deranged dragon imprisoned beneath the castle who thought it was Merlin’s destiny to work with Arthur to unite Albion and bring magic back, which sounded nice in theory, but having met the prat knew that working together would be impossible. Merlin wouldn’t even feel a hint of sadness if one of the sorcerers the Pendragons had wronged managed to kill him. He had said he’d give them a hand but he was no murderer, he just wouldn’t mind it if the prat decided to crease breathing sometime soon.

Despite his words though he found himself once again putting himself at risk, using magic to stop Lady Helena from singing everyone to sleep, in front of the royal family and most of the court, mind you they were asleep at the time. It really had been his intention just to stop her, he didn’t know the chandelier was heavy enough to kill her. Not immediately though because she still had enough energy to aim her dagger at Arthur’s heart. Somehow Merlin ended up acting without thinking, or maybe he had been overthinking, feeling guilty for hurting this woman, who turned out to be the bereaved mother, and tried to compensate by saving someone. Either way he put himself in danger of exposure, again.

Uther had decided to reward him, which he felt guilty about but everyone had been staring and he figured a few gold coins from the royal coffers wouldn’t do any harm. He still didn’t have employment so he could use the money until he had an income at which point he could send the rest to his mother, so he gave in rather easily. At first it sounded like while he wasn’t getting those gold coins he’d have the solution to his employment problems, he’d get an esteemed position in the royal household, a cushy job surely. But no, he couldn’t have been allowed to work in the royal stables, couldn’t have been a page, couldn’t have been paid to assist the court physician, no that’d make his life too easy. Manservant to Prince Arthur, judging by the brief look they exchanged they finally agreed on something, this was going to be hell.

Merlin had asked Gaius if there was a way out of it when they were alone back in their chambers. Gaius had told him that he could not refuse the king, that he’d have to keep the job for at least six months before he could asked to be relieved, doing so before that would make it appear as if he didn’t appreciate the “generous” reward, nor would he appear willing to try to settle his differences with Arthur. Seeing as he was now stuck with a job that he really didn’t want, even if it paid well, Merlin had to reformulate his plan. It would be impossible to stay away from Arthur now, and by proxy away from his father, he’d have to be extra careful with his magic, he had to manipulate Arthur into tolerating him, if he did not then he risked future difficulties.

It had been a rather rough start, they didn’t like each other and when Merlin asked why Arthur hadn’t refused Merlin becoming his manservant, seeing as he actually could, he found out the blond had actually tried to do just that. Apparently Uther had demanded that Arthur have a personal manservant and it had been an ongoing discussion. As Arthur approached his twenty first year there was no doubt it was him who’d be crowned king and as such he’d need a personal servant he could trust, he could no longer have a plethora of servants at his beck and call partly because the servants had begun finding reasons to hang out near Arthur’s chambers in the hopes they could get the opportunity to serve him and because he was an adult now and apparently it was childish to allow just anyone to serve him.

So Merlin relied on Gwen to teach him the ins and outs of being a servant to a member of the royal household. He tried to be a good servant and not too disrespectful and he tried to gain Arthur’s respect. In a way things went south with the Valiant issue, so much so that Uther allowed Arthur to sack Merlin. Despite the negative reputation that came from being sacked on the basis that he lied to the royal family this had been what Merlin had been hoping for from the start, to be removed from Arthur’s service. He couldn’t just leave Arthur to die though, even if it meant risking his own neck for the prat. So he saved the man, revealing to everyone that what he had said was true, he had hoped this would remove any rumors and negative reputation and he could get on with his life. But then Arthur rehired him, and he didn’t really seem to have a say in the matter. At least his actions seemed to have gained him some respect not only from the other servants but even from the prince.

It became marginally easier after that. Merlin had learned his tasks and became more efficient at them meaning they were completed in less time and with less energy, Arthur didn’t seem to be trying to scare him off the position anymore meaning (slightly) less abuse and a (slightly) lighter workload. If he had been anyone else it would be an amazing job, even considering that Arthur was a prat, the pay was great, he got little bonuses like scraps from the royal table and got to travel around the kingdom with the knights’ there to protect him, he’d even been taught to ride and given his own horse (alright given wasn’t the best word, she still belonged to the royal stables but she had become known as being  _Merlin’s mare_ , and that had to court for something).

However being Merlin meant it wasn’t so great. The pay was still amazing and the majority of the scraps tasted good (there were many delicacies he had never even heard of before but some of them just were simply disgusting) but between working for Arthur and working for Gaius and doing favours for others by the time he was free to return to the banquet hall (if he hadn’t collapsed already) the other servants had picked everything over and cleaned up already. While Merlin did like getting out of the city to see the world it was often a miserable affair, his clothes weren’t warm enough and his boots leaked and didn’t support his feet properly meaning he was cold, wet, and tired from running after Arthur’s horse all day. Merlin also didn’t fancy hunting and seeing as decorum stated he shouldn’t begin conversation with his superiors he often found patrol boring. Once Merlin had learned to ride it became marginally better, however even once he no longer fell from his seat he still found his thighs sore because he had not been trained from birth to spend all day on a horse. Attacks from bandit and beast alike made things a bit more interesting and a lot more dangerous because really, when you could choose between a warlock or a knight who was better at offering protection? So Merlin did most of the protecting risking his own life by protecting everyone’s lives because magic was illegal and any of the knights could turn and witness him casting and he’d be on the pyre the next morning.  Then again being close to the royal family meant everyday he was at risk. His mother and Gaius didn’t really understand his need to use magic, couldn’t he just not use it, at least until it was safe to do so? But the longer he went without the more it seemed to hum under his skin, distracting him until he let it out, and he might as well let it out in a useful manner, like warming Arthur’s bath or washing the floor instead of making shapes in the smoke but that meant Arthur could walk in and catch him in the act. Not to mention when Arthur was in the mood to torment him he ended up playing training dummy or moving target.

Perhaps he was changing or perhaps it was just buried under the holier-than-thou attitude, but the more time Merlin spent with Arthur the more it appeared the man actually had a good heart, he just needed a little bit of persuasion to show it sometimes. Merlin’s pride set in sometime around this point. While his so-called “destiny” was still a burden it now seemed both possible and was something that Merlin longed for.

 It was a simultaneous manipulation this time, he had to manipulate Arthur into being a better person but the man was more likely to listen if he manipulated him into a friendship first. It worked a little something like this: Merlin would give a suggestion on how Arthur could better himself, there’d normally be disbelief and scoffing and maybe even some kicking and screaming but Arthur would often take the suggestion and act on it, when Merlin was proved right Arthur’s trust grew and with that trust their bond strengthened meaning next time Merlin could make an even greater suggestion and the process would repeat. It felt like he was on the up. There were a few setbacks of course, but life was good.

Then a realization came that drastically changed things. Up until this point his manipulations had felt innocent, in fact they still felt that way, but they really weren’t because while the manipulations might be mutually beneficial to both Arthur and Merlin a third party was losing out where Merlin gained. That third party was Uther Pendragon and all his supporters. While Merlin viewed Uther as a tyrant the man was still just a mortal, he made mistakes, he’d been hurt, and while Merlin would normally justify his actions as being for the greater good both Arthur and Uther cared for each other. Arthur was Uther’s only blood relative, his heir, and while Merlin might be turning him into a better man, and thus a better king by proxy, he was turning him against his father. Even if he didn’t care how badly Uther was hurt by this being at odds with his father would hurt Arthur too. Not to mention it was a major and unpredictable set back. All Uther would have to do was show a few acts of affection towards Arthur and then declare that Merlin was hurting him, or their relationship, and Arthur would turn on him without question.

The one thing that Arthur Pendragon desired above anything else, Merlin had discovered, was love. Not necessarily romantic love but the unconditional kind and Uther had corrupted him to the point where Arthur believed that real love could only be given by family. But Uther did not even fulfill that need. If Merlin truly wanted to harm no one he’d leave things as they were but Merlin had come to care for Arthur and it pulled at his heart strings to see Arthur desperately throwing himself at his father’s feet, at his every beck and call, attempting to receive even the smallest amount of praise, a single smile, a hand on the shoulder, and often walking away disappointed. He witnessed firsthand how such a little gesture could make Arthur beam with happiness, how a single frown could throw Arthur into a foul mood, how much anxiety Arthur held within himself, always having to do everything perfectly, having to be the best at everything just to prove himself worthy of his father’s attention. Merlin couldn’t truly be neutral anyway; this was his life and if it came down to kill or be killed he’d be doing the killing thank you very much. The only way he’d be safe is if Arthur came to love him more than he loved his father and so the fight for Arthur’s trust and loyalty began. Of course Uther and Arthur were oblivious to it.

Merlin started off small with barely there compliments like, “It looks like you’ve exhausted your knights, did you really need to extort their stamina like that?” after a training session. Soon it became, “Oh! That was so close but then you did that move and, it was so fast, I barely caught it but suddenly Sir Bors is lying on one end of the field and his sword is flying the other way.” Suddenly he’s reinforcing Arthur’s ideas and telling him he did the right thing and before the year is even out Arthur’s turning to him after winning a tournament his eyes asking, ‘did I do well? Have I made you proud?’ and Merlin  _is_  proud and he beams and claps and hoots and hollers to show it and Arthur rolls his eyes and calls him an idiot. He’s able to slowly move Arthur toward his own causes, has him help defeat Kannan to save Ealdor and release the druid boy. It helps that Lady Morgana is like family to Arthur and seems to agree with many of Merlin’s ideals meaning she’s one more person Arthur can receive encouragement from.

Of course there are setbacks, moments when he over estimates the amount of trust he’s earned, how comfortable Arthur is with him. He learns that Arthur is uncomfortable with physical contact. Well, that might not be the best term for it, he’s uncomfortable with  _affectionate_ physical contact. At first he thought it applied only to him but by observing Arthur he learns that not even Morgana can hug him. Well, she can hug him and he’ll put up for it for a moment, maybe two if she’s lucky, but he’ll be tense the entire time.

This puts a bit of a block in front of Merlin’s plans. He and Arthur are practically friends now and he’s unsure how to continue forward without affectionate contact, it was how he had been taught to express love and friendship as a child. Even though he wasn’t very involved in the village it didn’t mean he didn’t repair huts or that he refused to participate in the winter huddling (and who would refuse that when it meant suffering a cold and lonely death). The two ways he knows how to cement a friendship are through affectionate contact and pleasant offerings, or a combination of both. Both of these methods though are impossible with Arthur. Arthur’s the second richest man in the kingdom even if Merlin could afford extravagant gifts what could he possibly give him that he didn’t already have? Arthur frequently complained at gift giving events, such as his birthday, about the gifts he received; daggers, belts, boots, sometimes someone would offer to pay commission so he could have a new pair of breeches or a coat tailored. At least, he said, it wasn’t as bad as Morgana who often got hair brushes and flowers, occasionally a new pot of paint. It didn't really matter either way, he didn't have the money to get a gift worthy of a prince, even if it was boring because Arthur had something similar. And then Arthur inadvertently solved the problem for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this section is where it starts getting really long. As such the editing process took a few days and you know those times you write something, reread it, decide the wording isn't right and change it, then read through it the next day only to feel like it needs rewording, and repeat, repeat, repeat? This was one of those times and I got lazy so forgive me.  
> Also want to state that I know nothing about massage, I'm in dire need of one but have never even had one before, I probably could have researched it more although I did research how essential oils are made and how long it would have taken to get from Camelot to Greece.

Arthur throws his back in a small skirmish with bandits when his horse rears up in fright. He could barely do his regular day to day activities like walking, washing, alternating from sitting down to standing up, getting dressed, bending over; if he remained immobile for long periods of time he suffered from terrible spasms that actually managed to knock him over when he attempted to get up. Normally Gaius would prescribe a pain tonic and order the patient rest for about two weeks, or until they regained full mobility. However Arthur was the Crown Prince of Camelot, he couldn't be idle for two weeks, the kingdom relied on him for protection, he had to recruit new knights and train the current ones and if he couldn’t attend to these duties for two weeks the army would suffer and the kingdom would fall. (In actuality Arthur probably could afford to neglect his duties, at least the more strenuous ones like training and patrolling the boarders for two weeks, there were more than enough people capable of taking his place. He was just being insufferable about it, driving everyone mad, and it hadn't even been a full day yet.) Uther agreed that two weeks was preposterous after seeing the extent of Arthur's injuries (read: couldn't deal with his whining anymore) and demanded Gaius do something. Merlin assumed there was nothing more that Gaius could do, after all Gaius prided himself on fair treatment, insisting that anyone in need not only receive the help they required but the best help he could give. Merlin was therefore rightfully surprised when Gaius not only immediately told Uther he would tend to the issue at once but actually proceeded to do just that.

“Gaius if there is an alternative treatment, or a further treatment, why have you withheld it?” He voices the question with genuine curiosity once he realizes that Gaius is indeed preparing something.

“This is a type of further treatment however, as you know I like to provide everyone with equal treatment and this one is both rather expensive and time consuming and in the end does not drastically speed up the healing process. However, Arthur'll soon drive us all mad and I'm hoping this will placate him and if I'm going to provide preferential treatment to anyone it might as well be to the family that pays for my services.”

“Will you teach it to me?”

“Of course my boy, in fact I'll probably need your help, my body isn't what it used to be and not only do I fear I no longer have the strength to perform the treatment I fear if I attempt it I'll be the one immobile come morning.” Just when Merlin's going to ask why Gaius is preparing some form of tonic if there is physical labour involved and how doing anything physical could help Arthur Gaius continues. “What I am preparing now is not a potion but a fine fat.”

“What's a fine fat?”

“Well a fat of course is normally something that floats in water such as lard or beeswax. The problem with these lesser, but remarkably more common and therefore cheaper fats, is that they harden when they cool. When in a pinch I find that fresh churned butter heated to an appropriate temperature is somewhat suitable, you can't really add any herbs to it though because they lose their potency with the repetitive heating and cooling. It's also just one more thing to worry about when working with a patient and eats up time if you don’t get the timing right, the butter has to remain in a liquid state but too hot and you'll burn your patient, too cold and it will thicken and be unworkable, so you have to keep taking it off and putting it back on the fire. Patients aren't too fond of it either as it means they have to have a good bath afterwards to wash it off or they'll stain cloth and attract flies.

“A fine fat has the properties of the more crude ones with the most important exceptions being that it remains in liquid form no matter the temperature and it doesn't spoil. At least I've never had it spoil and my bottle sits locked in that box for years at a time.”

“Where do these fine fats come from?”

“Plants, so I’m told although I've never seen the process nor done it myself. I always get the fats imported, otherwise the exotic seeds and fruits would probably spoil on the journey here.”

“Is it made from both the fruit and seed of a single plant or must the two be combined?”

“No, no. From what I'm told the fine fats can be made from numerous plants but they do not mix them. Each batch is made from a single fruit or seed. Apparently they are very common in the far south east, specifically for religious ceremonies although apparently they are in such abundance that they are consumed daily, I've been told that they dip their bread in it. At least that’s what my old supplier said, this new merchant informed me that they pour it over vegetables. I'm sorry my boy, I don't actually know a lot about it although whenever I'm able to acquire it I try to learn more but as I've said different merchants seem to say different things and even my tomes contradict each other, probably because us physicians are aged men who have to stay in one place to make a living and don't have the means to make a four month trip to and from Athens.”

Merlin's eyebrows shoot up, “Four months!”

“Well, more or less, if you travelled approximately ten hours a day on horse without stop at a reasonable pace. That speed would allow for eight hours to sleep each night and breaks for meals and to rest the horse, you're also bound to get a few days of bad weather where you're unable to travel at all so that's taken into account. But you also have to cross the channel and not many boats make that trip, especially boats willing to take passengers and their wears, you might end up waiting a week or two at a port village...” Gaius trails off and hums to himself as he loses himself in his work momentarily.

“Are you infusing this fine fat then?”

“Yes, as I mentioned earlier the herbs lose some of their potency this way, though thankfully not as much as if we were to attempt this with butter since this only need be heated once. From what I've heard fine fats can be made from almost any plant, the main reason I wish to know more about the process of making them so that we may make them ourselves, this means that we could turn these individual herbs into a fat and it'd be much more potent. Some of the merchants bring these different oils, as they are called, but not only am I not familiar with many of the herbs they originate from but it would mean the oil would only have a single purpose. Every physician that I know of sticks to these non-medicinal fine fats, I was told that they were called oils too, not that I'd trust the man who told me that, but a medical preparation and an edible substance shouldn't share the same name.”

“Aren't we still using it for a medical purpose though?” Gaius pauses as if the thought had never struck him before.

“Huh, so we are, I suppose I shall call it oil after all. Anyway, the merchants that make more than one trip are quick to learn that this type of oil, even if originally not intended as a medical substance, is the only one they can sell here. Mind you a few kings have been known to buy some of the better smelling oils and use them as perfumes. Even if they lower the price of the medical oils because they cannot sell them I'd rather have a bottle of oil that can be infused and therefore can serve a multitude of purposes than four bottles of single purpose oil.”

“And now you are infusing it with chamomile and clary sage to lower inflammation and promote relaxation?”

“Well done, you're learning at a remarkable pace.”

“I take it that the oil is not meant to be consumed though?”

“No it is not. Again different tomes say different things, some say the oil is to be breathed in, to place a few drops on a clean scrap of fabric and place it over the patient's nose and mouth. Another interpretation is that it is supposed to be smelt, best done by smearing it on the upper lip. Some say it can be dropped into the ears and nose to unclog them, that it'll prevent infection if placed on a fresh wound. Personally the only method I have found to be effective is to work the oil into the skin for injuries such as Arthur's.”

“Prevent infection, really?”

Gaius bows his head and lowers his voice as if his words are treasonous, “I dare not try it. I fear the outcome whether positive or negative. I can't very well decide to test an experimental treatment on a patient who has yet to show infection and risk actually causing one, or even having the oil react negatively to entering the blood. If it did work then I have a responsibility to provide the same treatment to absolutely everyone with so much as a scratch and that'd be impossible even if I did have endless riches as the suppliers only bring so much with them.”

“So how is this remedy effective, is the oil and the infused herbs absorbed through the skin?”

“I'm not entirely sure. The oil alone makes the body more pliable and reduces friction meaning fresh blood can be coaxed to the damaged area and in some cases the knot in the muscle can be worked out so that it returns to its original condition. Some herbs cause the skin to heat which can further relax a patient, sometimes the process can be somewhat painful, but to be honest I'm just following what physicians before me have done. Combining what I just told you about breathing the oils in I believe that perhaps using the infused oil on the body places it close enough to the patient's nose that the fragrance can be effective but I have tried just placing infused oils under the nose and personally found that method ineffective so I assume there is something else at play that science cannot yet explain.” He transfers the now somewhat murky oil from the heating vessel, through a strainer, and into a glass bottle, ensuring he get every last possible drop. Finally stoppering it he says, “There we are, that should do it. Help me clean up a bit and then you can get Arthur his supper, afterwards we'll take this to Arthur and I'll demonstrate for you how to work the muscles effectively.”

Merlin proceeds to replace bottles and bunches of herbs, rinsing equipment and wiping down the work surface as Gaius carefully puts the rest of the raw oil safely away with the other expensive and addictive medicines that stay locked in a small chest and placed in the back corner of the cupboard. “Does this working of the muscles have to be performed more than once or must it just be done for a long period of time and you intend to have me take over so you do not tire yourself?”

“All of the above. The back will need about an hour's worth of work, sometimes more depending on the patient, and we all know what an excellent patient the prince is,” they share a laugh, “and it should be performed twice a day, upon waking and before retiring tends to be the most effective, until the injury has healed.”

“And with this treatment how long will that take?”

“Unfortunately this isn't one of those one time fixes. In all honestly Arthur might feel a reduction of pain and regain some of his locomotion more rapidly but he still should rest for two weeks, anything strenuous and he risks undoing our work or even worsening the injury. It's why I normally only use this method on the most dire of patients, those at risk of not regaining movement, or those whose injuries are not mending on their own.”

Gaius claps his hands together satisfied with their efforts, “Now, you'd best go fetch the prince his supper and prepare him for bed. He’s still to take the pain tonic I've prescribed for evening use with his supper and it’ll make him drowsy so I'm assuming he will want an early night. Once that is done come fetch me and I'll have our own supper ready after which we'll attend to Arthur.”

Arthur indeed becomes very drowsy after his supper and unfortunately, like the giant child he can sometimes, be throws a tantrum because he's tired and still in pain but thinks it's far too early to go to bed, not that he really has anything to do, but insists on staying up to try to work on some documents. He can't sit at his desk though, of course not. Instead Merlin spends twenty minutes arranging a suitable seat out of blankets and cushions in front of the fire and another fifteen turning that into a suitable work space where Arthur can have a flat surface to work on without being at risk of staining everything with ink. Just as Merlin's about to leave he requests Merlin refill the bucket of water that they've been heating over the fire to dip a rag in which is then placed on Arthur's back to relieve some of the pain and prevent it from seizing up. Merlin may or may not have cheated a bit and used magic to speed up the process. At last he’s free to satisfy his grumbling stomach and fetch Gaius. He is so late getting back his supper's gone cold, Gaius has already eaten and is looking ready for bed.

By the time they return Arthur's fallen asleep. Of course. Gaius gives Merlin the eyebrow and indicates Merlin wake Arthur and get him on the bed while he prepares it from a safe distance. The movement, of course, wakes the prince and cues another tantrum. Luckily Merlin's able to placate him rather rapidly with the promise of the new treatment. The expensive cover has been turned down and a drying sheet has been laid over the bedding to prevent any staining of the sheets. Gaius requests Arthur be naked and they cover as much of him as they can with another sheet.

“Just lie still Sire, I'm going to begin now and then Merlin's going to take over once he gets the idea. You're more than welcome to fall asleep but if you find you can't please try to remain as relaxed as possible.” Arthur grunts in response and Gaius proceeds as planned.

He unstops the earlier prepared oil and pours a gold coin sized amount into his carefully cupped palm, “This is all you'll need, while using excess won't do anything harmful, except maybe make a bigger mess, we don't want to waste this so be careful. Please stopper the bottle for me and place it somewhere it won't be knocked over.” Merlin does as he’s told placing the oil on Arthur's side table for now, Arthur'll be in no hurry to reach for his comb or keys so it’s at no risk of being knocked over. Gaius directs his attention to Arthur, “This'll be a bit cold at first Sire, it will warm up momentarily, please try not to tense up.” Despite Gaius' request Merlin can visibly see Arthur tense the moment Gaius' hands come in contact with his lower back. Gaius does not admonish him, nor does he pause in his ministrations. Gaius spreads the oil evenly along Arthur's lower back and buttock, the area Arthur had originally indicated as being painful. Soon the light touch used to spread turns into kneading, the same kind bakers use on dough. There's obviously force behind it because Arthur actually cries out. Merlin winces but Gaius does not crease his ministrations, Merlin's not really comfortable knowing that the treatment hurts Arthur in such a way.

Arthur does not cry out again and slowly most of the tension eases out of him but Merlin's not sure if that's because the treatment is working or because Arthur's become accustom to the pain. “Merlin, my arms are starting to give out, come closer and let me show you the necessary strokes.” Merlin obeys and Gaius begins teaching. “The gentle gliding stroke I used at first was simply to spread and warm the oil a bit. What I'm doing now is a rough knead, very similar to what you'd do to make bread. You must get the pressure exact, too little and it'll do nothing, too much and it'll cause more pain than necessary, potentially damaging the muscle even more. I'm encompassing the entire injured area but no further. Here, place your hands under mine so that I may demonstrate the amount of pressure you need.” Gaius instructs lifting his hands and Merlin complies by placing his under Gaius’ before crying out and quickly extracting his hands when Gaius digs the heel of his palm into Merlin’s knuckles. “Now you understand why my old body cannot continue with this for long. It is not that painful for him, the back is both bigger and better padded than your hands. To make it easier on your arms it's best to rock a bit on the balls of your feet, placing your weight behind the movement. I'm using this type of stroke ten times over the injury, I work my way down the injured area then back up. I then alternate to a more moderate amount of pressure and use my fingertips, like this, to squeeze the muscle together then loosen it with a sort of shaking motion, this also encourages the blood to flow. Come, feel the knotted part of his back compared to the normal part, once the knotted part relaxes it should feel similar, a bit more tender, at that point the working of the muscle is complete but our work is not. Just like after working a horse if you do not perform a good rub down the muscle is at risk of seizing up again. At this point we rub the entire expanse of the body with a moderate amount of pressure gradually lightening our touch for about fifteen minutes. Here, take over for me, I'll correct your technique if need be.” Merlin steps in to take over, he doesn’t want to hurt Arthur though and can feel that the other man’s still tense under his hands even though he’s using considerably less force than Gaius had been. Even before Merlin’s had the chance to complete his first stoke Gaius quickly instructs him to, “Use more pressure.” Merlin complies and adds a bit more of his weight behind the technique looking to Gaius in askance to see if it’s satisfactory, “More.” Arthur gives a pained groan at that point and Merlin raises his eyebrow as if to say ‘please tell me you aren’t going to tell me to increase the pressure again’. Gaius seems to interpret the look perfectly and shakes his head. “You might want to rock on your heels like I showed you, even your young arms will tire quickly.” It takes a moment for Merlin to find a comfortable rhythm that allows him to distribute the work equally between his arms and his legs while maintaining the right amount of pressure. He looks over at where Gaius has seated himself and Gaius gives a quick nod. Merlin turns back to his work.

Despite trying not to overwork any one part of his body, his claves, shoulder and wrists start protesting early on and Merlin understands why Gaius is reluctant to perform this treatment. Merlin idly wonders if he could do this with magic. It’s something he always thinks about with difficult or tedious tasks, like most tasks it’s impossible since magic is illegal and with this particular task there is no way he could perform it without risk of being caught. Finally it clicks as he watches his hands work, contemplating the difference between his pale complexion and Arthur’s darker skin, that  _he’s touching Arthur_  and  _Arthur’s not complaining_ , in fact, if his silence and heavy breathing is any indication, he’s dozed off.

Merlin emerges from his thoughts after that realizing the fire has burned down considerably and Gaius has begun to snore from the chair. Luckily Merlin hasn’t overworked Arthur’s muscles; he performs a quick test to ensure that his work really is complete and finds that, yes, the knotted part of Arthur’s back is now more tender to the touch than the healthy muscle. He switches to the rub down stroke that Gaius had only verbally instructed him on but that, combined with the knowledge of how one rubs down a horse, allows him to develop an effective method. Unfortunately he’s no longer working on just one side of Arthur’s back and to get a consistent pressure he has to awkwardly lean over Arthur. He gives up soon enough quickly shucking his boots and crawling up onto the bed. Arthur groans again, whether due to the dip in the mattress and the resulting change in stroke has woke him or if he was never really asleep, either way it is not a sound of pain but one of contentment. “Mmm, tha’ feels good.” Arthur mumbles and then proceeds to yawn.

“We’re almost done.”

“Did Gaius leave?” He asks a little more awake.

“Listen,” and he stays silent for a minute so that Arthur can do just that, “does it sound like he left?”

“I hope he fell asleep because you didn’t need instructing and not because he was too exhausted to ensure the future king isn’t further injured by his incompetent manservant.”

“Does it feel like I’ve made it worse?” He asks a, probably unwarranted, streak of anxiety coursing through him at the thought that he’s been a hindrance rather than a help.

“No,” he pauses, “I actually feel like molten metal, all sluggish and warm and bendy. But ’m tired too, so it’s not necessarily all your doing, the potion could be doing most of the work.”

“Of course.” They fall silent and Merlin continues his work, lifting Arthur’s heavy thighs to properly rub them down, then does the same for his equally uncooperative arms, at this point Merlin’s moved up the bed and is straddling Arthur’s legs. His knees are getting sore and he makes the conscious decision that he’s going to sit before he begins to work on Arthur’s shoulders and neck. He whispers a quick, “Pardon me,” just in case Arthur’s fallen asleep again but also so that he can say that he did, more or less ask, before sitting on Arthur’s behind.

“Wha-Merlin!”

“Shh, you’ll wake Gaius.”

Arthur switches to a whisper that is equally as loud as his normal voice, “I’m not a chair, you also just worked that part of me and now it’s going to start aching again.” Merlin’s eyes widen a bit as he realizes his mistake.

“Sorry, sorry. I sort of forgot, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Don’t be such a girl, you could hardly hurt me, you weigh next to nothing, I just don’t want to be sat on.”

Merlin creases his ministrations, “So I wasn’t hurting you?”

“No,” Arthur says from where his face has planted itself in his pillow.

“So I can sit on you?”

Arthur abruptly raises his head, “No!” Gaius shifts and snuffles from the chair and they both tense but he doesn’t wake.

Merlin plops himself back down on Arthur’s arse. “I’m almost done, my knees are sore, now put your head back down so that I can do your neck and shoulders properly.

Arthur grumbles a few choice insults but submits. Finally Merlin is finished though he’s unsure what to do now. He knows he has to wake Gaius and that Gaius will be upset and sore because Merlin let him sleep in a chair but he doesn’t want to have to force Gaius to resume work at this late hour and finish up. Merlin thinks about everything they discussed and deems that the oil need not be wiped or washed off as it has indeed been absorbed in the skin and while there is still a slight shine to the injured part of the back and Merlin’s hands, it is not shinier than a light sweat would be. He leaves the rest up to Arthur.

“Arthur?”

“Hmmm?”

“Do you want your sleep trousers or shirt?”

“’an I ‘eep ‘ike dis?” Merlin gives an amused chuckle.

“Well it’s somewhat cold, I’ll bank the fire but you’ll probably still want to be under the blankets and we should remove the drying sheets.”

“Uhh, don wanna mooove.” He groans in true prat fashion.

“Lazy lard.” Merlin admonishes without heat as he tugs the drying sheets away and the blankets out from under before pulling them up and over the prince. He bites his lip and hesitates before deciding it’s worth a shot and begins to stroke his hand through Arthur’s hair, he smiles when Arthur makes a small contented sound rather than pulling away. “From what Gaius told me your muscle will stiffen again during the night and will need to be worked on first thing in the morning so that you’ll be able to move without the spasms.” A string of sounds is mumbled and the tone lifts at the end, Merlin takes a wild shot as to what the actual question was and says, “I’ll do it if Gaius lets me.” Arthur hums again and nuzzles into Merlin’s hand before dropping back to the pillow mid snore.

Gaius does let Merlin work on Arthur the next morning but insists on watching over him one more time since he missed the crucial rub down technique and says he might need to correct it. Merlin’s perfectly content with this as it not only allows him to get Arthur in that relaxed state again but allows him to miss some of his regular chores. Gaius has ordered a servant to bring Arthur’s breakfast, light the candles and the fire, empty the chamber pot, and head down with the laundry while Merlin works on Arthur.

Perhaps because there is someone unfamiliar in the room or perhaps because he isn’t groggy on potion and instead well rested but Arthur does not get nearly as relaxed as he did last night, nor does he become as talkative. Near the end he becomes impatient, he’s hungry, he can smell his breakfast and he wants to get a start on the day. Merlin’s not quite sure what he’s so excited about but realizes his mistake when he finishes up and Gaius quickly informs him that, “you still can’t do anything strenuous for two weeks, not only will you notice your back will reknot quicker but you risk making it worse and potentially permanently paralyzing yourself.” Arthur visibly deflates. The day goes on and while Arthur is still miserable he isn’t  _as_  miserable meaning Uther’s happy. As the hours pass Arthur visibly becomes crankier due to the pain returning, he excuses himself early from dinner with Morgana and his father and heads straight to his chambers where he promptly strips and throws himself onto the bed ordering Merlin to “get to it”.

“I have to turn down the bed and lay the sheets down first, not to mention I should probably tend to the fire so that you don’t get cold halfway through.” Arthur gives an exasperated sigh, making it sound like getting up for a minute is the most tedious thing but he does slowly push himself up and off the bed. Before Merlin even has the bed turned down Arthur is subtly trying to warm himself, Merlin quickly gets him to lay back down on the drying sheet and covers him with the other one while he goes to tend to the fire. It will take a while for the temperature to increase so Merlin tries to keep as much of Arthur covered as he can while still being able to work on the injury. He retrieves the oil from where they left it that morning, carefully pours the correct amount and warms it in his hands before smoothing it on the skin, Arthur’s completely silent for this part and Merlin’s not sure if it’s because he’s relaxed or lost in thought, either way he feels the need to give warning before starting the actual working of the muscle, reminding Arthur to try not to tense up. Of course he does and he makes a few pained sounds which finally die off after the first half hour. He slowly relaxes under Merlin’s hands and Merlin finds that the injury is unknotted much quicker than it had been last night and this morning although he isn’t sure if that’s due to the repetitive treatments or Arthur’s ability to relax faster into the ministrations. The room is warm enough now to remove the top sheet, something that is necessary to perform the rub down. Once again Merlin kicks off his boots and climbs on the bed but this time he doesn’t even wait for his body to protest before he seats himself on top of Arthur.

“Again Merlin?” Arthur asks resigned. Merlin doesn’t even reply just starts to rub down Arthur’s back, shoulders and neck. He gets a few appreciative groans. “This would be amazing after training.”

“I doubt Gaius would let even you use up his expensive oil though.”

“Is that what it is? I thought it was some kind of medicine.”

“In a sense it is, the oil’s been infused with herbs that will help stop inflation and promote relaxation, but the main purpose is to reduce friction. Without it I fear your skin and hair would be tugged and it’d be unpleasant.”

“There’s other ways to make things slick though. Grease is used on armor and tack. Butter and lard is used on pans and spinning wheels is it not?”

“But would you really want any of that on you? You’d need a bath afterwards which means you would have to get up and bathe meaning you wouldn’t be as relaxed after.”

“I’d be relaxed enough. You just don’t know how many aches you can acquire through a good training session.”

“Trust me, I know.” Merlin grumbles to himself remembering his first week and how he’d been unable to lift his arms. “You train almost every day though, it’s simply impossible to have a bath every day. Neither of us have time, not to mention your skin and hair would dry out. You take the most baths out of anyone I know, I’m surprised you aren’t flaking already. You know that most people only bathe twice a year, right?”

“Yes but most people are peasants who have to bathe outside so most of the year it’s too cold. I’m the prince I can afford to have a tub and servants to fill it with warm water, it’s a luxury I wholly enjoy. Besides, peasants probably get dry skin because of the temperature of the water or the soaps they are using, again not an issue for me.”

“You still can’t have a bath every day.”

“Well find another solution then. I enjoy this and think it’d do wonders after training, I’m the prince I’m supposed to get what I want, you’re my servant, you’re supposed to give me what I want.”

“More like prat.”

“Ow!” Arthur exclaims when Merlin, accidently on purpose, uses too much force on his calves, he wouldn’t risk injuring his back further, he’s not that cruel. After finishing with the ankles Merlin goes to stand up before Arthur stops him, “Do my front too.”

“What?” Merlin asks with one leg already on the floor and the other knee still on the bed, partly because he thinks he’s misheard, partly in disbelief. Arthur rolls over signifying that Merlin really did hear properly but he repeats himself anyway.

“I said do my front.”

“But you didn’t injure your front, not to mention there’s very little muscle I can work, especially since I did your arms and legs already.”

“Merlin just do as I say.” Merlin takes a moment to think about how to proceed. Arthur doesn’t seem to be joking, he actually wants this, it also means he’s becoming more comfortable with the idea of Merlin touching him, which Merlin wants to encourage. If he can get Arthur to associate his touch with safety and relaxation Arthur’s more likely to ask for it in the future meaning he’ll come to further associate those positive feelings with Merlin himself. With a sigh Merlin makes up his mind and throws the top sheet over Arthur’s legs, he’s already worked on them anyway and he doesn’t want Arthur to have the horrible feeling of being exposed or judged. He still plops himself down on Arthur’s thighs though with a smirk which earns him an eye roll.  

“What am I working then?”

“Right here,” Arthur indicates the area around his collar bones.

“All right, but I can’t use any more oil and the stuff on my hands has been used up on your back.”

“Just do what you can.” Merlin feels the vibration through his hands as Arthur hums with pleasure the moment Merlin’s hands start a rhythmic movement with gentle pressure on his chest and throat. It’s still early and Arthur’s so relaxed under him that he doesn’t really want to stop and he wonders if that’s why Arthur requested he work on his front. Merlin’s run out of muscle to work and is now just gently gliding his hands over Arthur’s body. He runs his hands up and down Arthur’s flank and then uses a hand to rub circles on his stomach knowing not to add pressure and to work in the direction of digestion. When that’s done he pauses causing Arthur to finally open his eyes and stare at him, it’s not intimidating, it’s not demanding, Arthur’s just examining him, wondering what he’ll do next.

Merlin slowly lifts his hands and Arthur tracks the movement until Merlin’s finger tips come to rest on his jaw. Merlin’s surprised to realize he can identify the tension there. It makes sense, Arthur’s often grinding his teeth in effort to keep quite in council sessions. “Relax your jaw for me.” Arthur does letting his mouth slide partly open and Merlin rubs at the hinges feeling the tension leave. He then works up from Arthur’s chin to his ears, it’s a bit uncomfortable, the stubble scratching his fingers, he assumes it’s not the most comfortable for Arthur either and moves on quickly. He presses gentle circles into Arthur’s temples, a technique that sometimes relieves headaches, before moving up to Arthur’s brow, smoothing it where it normally creases. Then he moves down to the bridge of Arthur’s nose, gently pulling the skin toward his ears being extra gentle with the skin under his eyes. Arthur yawns just then and Merlin decides his work is done.

“Roll over a bit before you fall asleep, I need to get the sheet off the bed and the blankets up from under you.” This night Arthur complies without hesitation or protest. Merlin quickly covers Arthur, tucking him in not even bothering to ask if he wants to put on his sleep clothes. He then moves around the room drawing the curtains, snuffing the candles, tidying the random articles of clothing that managed to end up scattered around the room, and banking the fire. Before he leaves he looks over to where Arthur is splayed out on his back, “Goodnight Arthur,” he whispers in case the prince is already asleep.

“Goodnight Merlin.” It’s mumbled but brings a small smile to Merlin’s face as he slips out the door.

A routine is created: Every morning and evening Merlin works Arthur’s body. In the morning his normal duties are passed to another servant and the entire thing is rather hurried, no extra luxuries are taken. At night though the process is slower and feels more intimate. The rub down portion is extended, both in time and in the amount of Arthur’s body that is worked upon. Merlin takes his time running his hands over Arthur’s body and through his hair; every part of Arthur’s body is made to relax under Merlin’s touch. Merlin thinks of Arthur like clay. First it is hard and often crumbles if you apply too much force but if you keep working it it’ll warm and become malleable allowing you to work it into whichever shape you desire. It isn’t just Arthur’s body this metaphor applies to, but his mind as well. With every evening they spend together, hidden away in the quiet of Arthur’s chambers under the darkness of the night while Merlin’s hands relaxing Arthur’s body and soul, is another moment they grow closer. Merlin’s still not sure about the coin metaphor the dragon used but he does understand that they are two halves of a whole and each moment like this feels as if their souls are slowly being sewn together.

And then it’s over.

“What do you mean this is the last night?” Arthur’s voice speaks of a hidden fear under the irritation he is trying to express.

“Well, it’s been just over a fortnight, we’ve also run out of oil, I’ve been having to stick my fingers in the bottle the last few times to get the last of it since nothing else will pour out. Besides you can go back to your regular duties after this so long as you don’t overdo it.”

Arthur tries to glare at him but his mouth betrays him and forms a small pout. “I told you I’d want a rub down after training, so this is only the end of the oil and working out my injury.”

“Yes but we still have no way of going about this. I can do it occasionally Arthur, if you’re particularly sore or before a bath, but I can’t do it every day.”

“Are you completely useless? You have a brain and I gave you my orders, think of something and make it happen!” The tone angers Merlin and his instinct tells him to fight back. ‘Why do you want this so badly anyway?’ is on the tip of his tongue, even though it’s a rhetorical question and he already knows the answer he’s just being petty and wants to hear the reason out loud but Arthur won’t admit to it, not yet at least, it’ll only damage what they’ve built these last two weeks. Arthur’s begun to feel safe with him and he enjoys these moments, having been so deprived of affection and touch before he’s come to crave it now but doesn’t know how else to ask, he fears that Merlin will abandon him emotionally. Merlin doesn’t want to abandon him that way and not only because he’s trying to strengthen their bond, Arthur doesn’t deserve to have his fears realized. Not only will it cause him to close up to Merlin’s efforts but he might not let anyone get close to him again. And if you live your life without allowing people to get close to you, to love you, are you even living at all?

“I’ve been searching, nothing’s worked so far but I’ll keep looking, promise.” Arthur relaxes. “Although I reserve the right to tell you ‘I told you so’ for everything I try on you that results in rash or chafing.”

“Merlin!” Arthur exclaims whipping his head up, pulling his pillow out from under it and whacking Merlin with enough force that he falls off of Arthur and onto his side. Both of them pause and stare at each other for a moment to gaze the other’s reaction before laughing hysterically.

It’s true though, Merlin has been searching and does intend to continue his search. He figured he might be able to make oil with the help of magic. Apparently though you have to know how to make something by hand before you can make it with magic. His spell book has a summoning spell but you have to know the exact location of an item to summon it. There is also a spell to help the caster learn, Merlin preformed it in hopes of learning how oil is made but learns that the spell simply aids in the speed at which you absorb information and helps recall it with more ease. He also discovers that the spell results in a headache so horrible that, while Merlin is often loath to defile any book with his chicken scratch, moves him enough to write in the margin, “Do not attempt. Two day migraine not worth it.”

He’s exhausted his magical options, if there is a spell out there Merlin doesn’t have the book that contains it. In Camelot it’s much more likely that he’ll find a book, scroll, or leaflet explaining how to make oil before he finds a spell book that does the same, but in the end he doesn’t have that either. So he does things the old fashioned way: trial and error.

Water, or anything made with water, dries away making it useless. Beeswax, no matter what Merlin thinks to mix it with, is too hard. He thinks milk might be the answer but it can’t be in its original form and if it’s churned it becomes too hard, even without the salt once it cools it hardens and becomes sticky. He tries churning it for less time but there seems to be no in between, either it turns back into milk or stays as butter. He looks everywhere for inspiration, the grease used on tack and armor, the polish used on metal and leather, lye, cooking grease, he even inquired about Morgana’s paints, most of them were actually powders she had to add water to, the few that weren’t were from far away and probably had oil in them. Oh and apparently women kept their hands soft by soaking them in milk and honey.

Merlin was frustrated, Arthur was frustrated, even Gaius was becoming frustrated (more with Arthur and Merlin and their hunt and endless questions that he often couldn’t answer than with the fact they hadn’t been able to obtain oil or make something similar). In the meantime Merlin used various safe things on Arthur whenever there was a bath or a dip in the stream scheduled. In the end he found that it was actually easier to just rub Arthur down in the tub with a good lather of soap. It was cleaner and faster and Arthur enjoyed it well enough but still wanted it every day, and preferably lying down so he could go to sleep directly after.

And then finally Merlin discovered the answer on a patrol one day. Everyone was miserable because they were getting thoroughly drenched. The moment they got back and the horses had been tended to Merlin rushed to Gaius’ chambers leaving a trail of water in his wake. “Gaius!” He shouted startling the poor man into dropping a freshly prepared sleeping draught for Morgana. Merlin winced, “Sorry,” he said rubbing at the back of his neck at the same moment his eyes flashed gold and the mess began to clean itself.

“What has you so excited then?” And Merlin’s face lit up again.

“Why do plant leaves not absorb water?” He asked of the physician hoping the answer was the one he sought.

“Well, and this is mostly guess work, but I believe plants to produce a sort of wax, similar to the beeswax we use to coat the inside of water skins to prevent them from leaking. You’ll notice that when leaves die, the leaves on the forest floor for example, they will absorb the rain. I can sort of see where you are hoping to go with this Merlin but I don’t know how you’d get the wax out of the leaves, let alone if it is less thick than beeswax.”

“No, I wasn’t thinking of that at all. You said that they can make oil out of almost any plant, you can noticeably see that some plants have a shinier coating than others. The ones with the shiny coating are too thick but what if we try to extract it from a plant that doesn’t have a thick coating?”

“How would you extract it though?”

“I’m not sure. We know that when dried they’re useless, so fire and sun are out. If we squeeze them we’ll probably only get leaf juice. What if we use water?”

“I can’t see how placing them in water would do anything. Plants can often be found growing in ponds and there’s no oil coming from them.”

“But what if it’s hot water? When you made that infusion you heated the oil to make the herbs release their effects, what if they are actually releasing their oil and we just don’t know it because they were releasing it into oil. If we got the oil out in water it would float to the top and then we could harvest it that way.”

Even Gaius has an excited smile on his face, “Let’s try it, we’ve got plenty of herbs here, both fresh and dried. I’ll boil some water.”

Their excitement diminishes after a few failed attempts. Gaius gives up after a few hours, “Merlin we’ve tried all the safe common herbs I possess, I’m sorry my boy but I don’t think this will work.” Merlin’s more determined about it though, he tries different temperatures of water and many different plants, going out each day to look for leaves or plants they have not yet tried.

Finally it happens one day by accident.

Gaius has gone out to a village to investigate a small outbreak and Merlin finds himself with a rare afternoon off while Arthur sits in council. He’s taken over every available space in the workshop, is using every available vessel to either boil water steep some part of a plant in it. He’s suspended a small cauldron of water over a few candles to heat, planning to add dried sage to it in a moment but his back is turned as he works on something else and when he turns back he realizes that the steam is rising up to a drying bundle of mint. He swears as he quickly removes the cauldron and reaches up for the mint to see if the moisture has reversed the drying process. They are definitely wet all the way through, Gaius will be so angry, he’s low on dried mint, with all the recent feasts many nobles have required it to aid with digestion so he can’t wait for Merlin to pick and dry more. Merlin’s ready to abandon his experiment in hopes he can quickly find more mint and maybe magically dry it for Gaius, he’d attempt to dry this bundle but is unsure if it has lost its potency. He wipes his wet hand on his shirt only to realize the water isn’t drying, it’s then he realizes that it isn’t water. He rubs the pads of his fingers together and notes that they glide smoothly and when he sniffs at the oil he is hit with a strong mint smell that burns his nostrils with its coolness. He’s done it! Mint might not be the best oil to work with though. Like a man possessed he continues with his work.

It’s actually Arthur who finds him and thankfully not Gaius. Arthur barges in, “Merlin the meeting finished hours ago where’s my- what on earth are you doing?”

Merlin’s head pops up from behind a bench. “Arthur! I’ve done it, I’ve made oil!” The look on Arthur’s face wavers.

“You have?”

“Yes, I can make it from almost any plant, some produce more than others and some probably wouldn’t be safe for the skin but I can do it.”

“That’s great but what have you done to Gaius’ workshop?” Merlin finally observes the space around him, his smile drops and then his face pales.

“Gaius is going to kill me.” He whispers mortified. He’s used up pretty much every herb, dried or fresh or somewhere in between. In his haste books and jars and bandages and premade poultices have been knocked out of his way. The place is a mess.

“When’s he due back?”

“Probably any minute now.”

“I came to see what you were doing and where my supper was but I guess I’ll have another servant fetch it. Should I ask someone to come up here to help you clean up a bit?”

“No, I’ll do it.” Merlin says because he can use magic to right the place faster than an entire army of servants can set it to rights but isn’t sure what to do about the depleted supply. “Could you maybe send someone to buy all the non-toxic herbs they can from the market?”

“And let me guess, you want me to pay for it?”

“Well I did all this for you, my lord, and it’s the royal family who pays Gaius anyway so it’ll still be your money paying to restock the place either way.”

Arthur sighs before throwing his hands up in the air, “Fine, but this better mean I get my rub downs every evening from now on.” He says before hastily leaving.

“It might take a few days to gather enough oil but you will.” Merlin calls after him.

Gaius walks in with his medicine bag just as Merlin’s managed to get everything back in its proper place. Before he can take notice of the missing herbs and complain to him Merlin’s in his face with the small bowl of oil. It placates him for a while but then a servant comes in baring the herbs from the market and Gaius immediately takes note of his missing supply. He’s angry but his analytical mind is curious and excited, he doesn’t even insist Merlin spend the night looking for the ones that couldn’t be purchased instead insisting they try the process together while he meticulously documents the procedure.

In the next few days Merlin doesn’t have a minute to himself because Gaius has him out herb gathering whenever he isn’t working for Arthur which means the oil isn’t getting made which means Arthur’s cranky. Finally a fortnight and a half later Merlin’s collected or bought all the herbs in season and Gaius relents and Merlin proudly wakes Arthur up by placing a large glass phial of oil on his bedside table, a four day’s effort made out of various herbs with relaxing properties. Arthur blinks sleepily for a few moments looking from the bottle to Merlin’s tired but proud face.

“Tonight?” Arthur asks.

“Tonight,” Merlin confirms, “after your patrol and the feast I’ll give you your well-deserved rub down.”

“It won’t cause me to break out in a rash will it?”

“It shouldn’t, I had to use my hands to squeeze the oil from the leaves and my skin’s never been softer.” Arthur smiles and then gets up, a bounce in his step as he prepares for the day.

A routine is established again. The night belongs to them, of course they it’s not possible every night but whenever they are safe in the citadel and it isn’t too late it’s become their ritual. When Arthur doesn’t have to dine with anyone he now invites Merlin to his table and they share food, mead, and good conversation. First the conversation is rather trivial, the weather, court gossip, stories about their days, how horrible Morgana is when she decides to be. Soon Arthur’s properly opening up though. Normally he has to work up to it, they start the evening talking about trivial things while dinning, they often finish the meal with warmed spiced mead at which point the conversation becomes more serious. Arthur asks Merlin for his opinion on difficult matters and Merlin tries his best to be a good confident. When they move to the bed Arthur is stripped of both his clothes and his mental defenses, he talks openly of his fears; he fears his father loves Morgana more than him, that he’ll never be good enough for his father, that his father might suddenly die and he’ll be king and he doesn’t know how to be king, how he misses his mother even though he never met her, he fears getting married, doesn’t want to let his wife down by being unable to love her or his children down by not being there for them. Sometimes there are tears, sometimes it is all delivered stoically, once he even confesses he didn’t know about friendship until Merlin taught him, how he doesn’t know how he lived without Merlin. It moves Merlin to the point he goes in for a hug. He had been sitting on Arthur’s thighs, stroking his hair at that point when Arthur told him and so Merlin just pulled him up by his underarms and held him and, miraculously, Arthur held him back.

Arthur initiates a hug when Morgana’s chambers catch fire.

The night after the Witchfinder is killed Arthur gives Merlin the night off to tend to Gaius. He pops in to check on Gaius and apologize on his father’s behalf. He can’t put words in the king’s mouth but he personally apologizes to Gaius for his father’s hatred of magic, that his fear blinded him to the point where he would hire such an evil and greedy man who framed Gaius for a few gold coins, apologizes for the fact that Gaius had to suffer, not only at the hands of Areidan but at the hands of his father as well. On his way out he pulls Merlin into a hug, apologizes to him for what happened, for what he almost allowed to happen. Tells him to get Gaius anything he needs and take as much time off as needed to look after him.

Luckily there is no serious damage. After a little over a day’s worth of bed rest, plenty of water and a warm meal, a proper bath, some bandages and healing salve for where the shackles cut in, and just a smidgen of magic that no one need know about, Gaius is looking a lot better and tells Merlin to quit being a mother hen. He’s still not completely healed but he wants to get back to work and survey the damage done to his things. Merlin has repaired everything overnight and put back as much of it as he can, Gaius still tuts though about him using magic so carelessly and his books not being in the right order.

It’s evening when Merlin finally makes it to Arthur’s chambers. He had helped Gaius reorganize and resume some of his regular duties as well prepare for an audience with the king and then seen that he was fed, by that point the old man was so tired he forgot to protest about Merlin putting him to bed early. Arthur calls, “Come in,” when he knocks and he waits for Arthur to turn around from where he’s brooding at the window. When Arthur finally does it’s clear he’s somewhat startled, “Merlin!” he exclaims.

“Sire, Gaius is abed now and doesn’t want me to mother over him anymore, I know it’s rather late in the day to resume my regular duties but is there anything you’d like tonight?”

“Are you sure you don’t need to be with Gaius?” Arthur asks uncertain.

“He was already up and about today, it wore him out but he’s fine, he’ll sleep until morning.”

“I’m sorry, a servant just took the rest of my dinner away I can order someone to bring something up for you.” He makes for the door but Merlin stops him with a gentle hand on his wrist.

“I’ve already eaten Arthur, I made dinner for Gaius and I.” Arthur hesitates, shifting from foot to foot and Merlin’s rather certain he knows what Arthur is hesitating to ask. “Do you want me to rub you down?” He smiles as a slight blush graces Arthur’s face and he nods. They set up and the moment Merlin’s hands are on Arthur’s back he starts talking.

“It was Aredian who had magic in the end, and he was evil. Gaius was innocent but even my father confirmed he used to practice magic, yet he’s not evil. It was my father’s hatred of magic that brought Aredian, my father’s hatred of magic that has caused many people with magic to attack us. So I question if it is my father’s hatred of magic that is evil or the magic itself. It could be possible that Gaius hadn’t become corrupted by it yet, after all, there are many magical people and creatures that seem to attack Camelot for no reason, if it was always for revenge I would easily say that my father is wrong but I’m not sure what to believe anymore. My father said that magic took my mother’s life that it was then he saw it for what it truly was and banned it on pain of death. If that is the truth then perhaps he is right but if it is not true then he could be wrong. I have realized now that my father’s hatred stems from his fear and that his fear is blinding. He almost had Gaius killed, how many other innocent people has he ordered to death? And if magic isn’t evil…” he trails off mid rant realizing perhaps that he’s sort of going in circles with his thoughts. “Merlin, tell me honestly, what do you think about magic, about the ban?”

He must tread carefully. It is too early to reveal himself and Arthur’s loyalty is still too evenly divided between himself and Uther. Arthur is not yet king and no matter Arthur’s stance on magic it is still illegal. This is his chance to plant the idea in Arthur’s head that magic isn’t evil but if he reveals himself now and something makes Arthur think differently or if Uther suddenly wins his son’s loyalty it will be Merlin’s head on the chopping block.

“If you really want to know what I think?”

“Please.”

“I think that it’s up to the person who uses it. There are good people and bad people in this world, many of them might pick up a sword and learn how to use it. Some will become knights, protecting cities and ensuring the law is carried out. Some will seek revenge, will throw down the gauntlet to challenge the person who killed someone they loved. Maybe they won’t be that kind, they’ll become an assassin and strike without their victim knowing simply because the law found the person innocent and the assassin believes them to be guilty. Others will become bandits, stealing from whatever unlucky soul happens to cross paths with them. I see magic no differently. I understand that in your lifetime you have rarely seen it used for good but the ban was placed when you were young, many of the ‘good’ people have probably fled or hidden fearing for their lives and the lives of their families. So the only people you’ve unfortunately seen are those looking for revenge or trying to fight against the system or maybe just trying to exploit everyone for their own gain. Like that troll a few months ago.”

He can tell Arthur’s smiling when he says, “And do you think there are good trolls too Merlin?”

“I think that trolls love gold and jewels by nature. If you were, say, a rabbit, would you think there were good wolves?”

“No they’d all be trying to eat me.”

“Some magical creatures are just kind of like that I think. Like the griffin, was it its fault that it feasted on human flesh? I mean, don’t get me wrong, maybe it did have a choice, maybe it could have been peacefully eating grass and just decided to eat us for the fun of it, but maybe it could only eat humans, that it was just trying to survive.”

“Does that make us evil then for killing it?”

“That’s like saying the rabbit’s evil for hiding from the wolf, denying it dinner, causing the wolf to starve to death. The rabbit’s not going to sacrifice itself for the wolf to live. We weren’t going to sacrifice ourselves for the griffin. The first priority of every living thing is to  _keep_  living. I don’t believe it is wrong to kill if your only option is kill or be killed. I also don’t believe it is wrong to kill to protect another. However I don’t believe killing is the best option, if there is another option we should always take it. The troll might not have been looking to kill everyone but it was looking to kill you and your father so that it could claim the throne and have all the riches it wanted. You saw what it tired when your father was still under its spell, it started to tax the people more than they could afford. Even though it wasn’t directly harming them it would have taken all they had without blinking leaving them to starve to death. Trolls are naturally greedy making it impossible to compromise; why would the troll take half the kingdom’s riches when it could have them all? Even then when it comes to negotiating you have to be careful not to give up something that could result in lives being lost. You can’t sell half your citizens as slaves to keep the other half safe, or only keep half the grain the city produces because you’ll find that it’s a choice between keeping them fed through winter or saving it so that there’ll be a crop to plant next spring. At the same time though a box of gold coins to prevent a war might be worth it. A small chest will buy what, a silk dress and two feasts? If Camelot has to pay that price to avoid sending hundreds of men and potentially losing citizens, livestock and farm land in a battle isn’t it worth it?”

“It is. You’re saying negotiate whenever possible, take the highroad, life is worth more than money. I’ve been taught all of this before, of course my father wouldn’t want us negotiating with sorcerers or magical beings but I get that point. What are you really trying to say though?”

“I’m saying that there are some cases where it is impossible to reach a peaceful agreement, that in those cases it’s alright to kill someone to prevent something even more horrible from happening.”

“How does that relate back to whether magic is good or not?”

“Because I believe magic is neutral. I believe it is wrong to kill everyone who practices it, but it is not wrong to kill someone who’s used it to abuse others.”

“So you believe legally magic should be treated like a sword, if you protect someone with it you should be rewarded and if you use it to steal, hurt, or kill, you should be punished.”

“Exactly.” At this point Merlin flips Arthur over to begin working on his front. Arthur’s staring at him again.

“You think my father’s wrong,” he finally says.

“I never spoke out against the king so don’t say that too loudly.”

“It’s just us here Merlin, and that’s what you implied. My father’s wrong,” he raises his hands and covers his face and Merlin’s not sure exactly what’s happening until he hears Arthur sob, “all those innocent people Merlin, he’s murdered them.”

“Arthur,” he coaxes brushing away tears and trying to calm him.

“Unfortunately your father is king, his word is law, perhaps not all of those people were innocent, perhaps the person who killed your mother did so without reason and your father’s just been avenging her all this time. You said yourself he is blinded by his fear. He might legitimately believe that magic is evil, that if given the chance it will take everything he loves away from him, you, Morgana, Camelot. It doesn’t make him right or justify his actions but it doesn’t mean he is evil.”

“Why are you protecting him? He shouldn’t really even be allowed to live, we kill murderers and he’s a murderer.”

“Yes but he decides who is guilty of murder. He is your father Arthur, I have seen his love for you and that is not evil. I doubt anyone is purely evil or purely good but a mix of both. Most people will never see themselves as evil even if they are murderers and thieves because they justify their actions. A thief might believe what they are doing is right because stealing means they and their family get to eat. A murderer might believe their actions are just because they are avenging a dead loved one, killing a murderer the law didn’t bring to justice. To put it simply; yes I think your father is wrong about magic and many he killed are innocent, but I also think that he doesn’t deserve to die, it’s not the only option, he could be taught that his views are wrong and while it might not make up for what he’s done it’ll stop him from continuing to send innocent people to their deaths.”

“I need to stop him, make him see sense.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea. He’s very stubborn in this belief but you are definitely someone who could get through to him. Unfortunately, perhaps due to his stubbornness, it seems that the magic community does not believe he will change and that the only way to remove the laws on magic is to remove him from the throne but every time they use magic to try to hurt or kill him they are just reinforcing his belief. I’m glad that they haven’t reinforced yours as well. You must be careful though, some people target you simply to hurt your father but others want you dead too. They’ve never seen you disagree with your father so they might think you’re the same as him. You’ll have to be careful with your father too, Morgana’s very dear to him and he’s thrown her in the dungeon before for speaking out. I don’t want you to risk your own life or wellbeing even if it is to save many others. Not only will it mean they don’t get to go free or get a chance at freedom but I’m quite selfish and don’t want to lose you.” He finishes the rub down giving Arthur a tender look, small smile and a final card of his hand through Arthur’s hair. When it appears Arthur won’t say anything more he gets up and begins to prepare the chambers for the night. Right as he blows out the last candle and makes to leave a hand shoots out and grab his arm.

“Stay?”

Merlin allows himself to be pulled back into the bed kicking off his boots again, tossing his jacket and his neckerchief before settling in next to Arthur where he then finds an arm thrown over his middle. There’s only the dim light of the banked fire to see by but even without it Merlin would be able to tell that Arthur is facing him, nose almost pressed to his. “Merlin,” Arthur whispers with a hint of fear after several moments of silence. Merlin puts his hand on Arthur’s face to let him know he’s both awake and trying to comfort him, “you’re very dear to me too. I-I don’t want to lose you.” He says choking back tears.

“You won’t lose me Arthur. I’ll be by your side, like I always am, protecting you, I promise, even if you are a prat.” Merlin’s attempt at humor is lost.

“I was so scarred, when Aredian said you were the sorcerer. I must be a horrible person because I felt relieved when it was Gaius that they took and not you.”

“It’s not a pleasant thought but it doesn’t make you a horrible person. I know you care about Gaius, you did the right thing in the end. I would feel the same way had our positions been reversed and it was your father who was about to die if it meant you were safe, and he’s the king. Despite that, and despite the fact that I think he’s done many terrible things, I’d still save him. I have saved him in the past.  Like when the troll had him under its power, she threatened me and I could have run away, instead I stuck around to try to reveal her and even when that didn’t work we tried to break the enchantment instead of letting her kill your father.”

“How did you expose her?”

“I spied on her and Jonas and realized that she was taking a potion that would make patches of troll skin disappear, that if she didn’t have the potion she’d turn back into a troll.”

“So you stole the potion?”

“No if they knew it was missing they could probably make another batch, while she was sleeping I stole the one that was there, Gaius and I stayed up all night to make a potion that tasted and looked the exact same except without the troll magic so it wouldn’t work, and then I replaced the original with the new one. She continued to take it until she realized at the crowning ceremony that it wasn’t working and she turned back into a troll.”

“How did you guys know it tasted the same?”

“Ugh, don’t get me started, Gaius had me taste them both and you don’t want to know what was in the one he made, I definitely don’t want to know what was in the original.”

“You really have been saving our necks haven’t you? You often say you are and no one believes you because you’re just a servant who can barely hold a sword properly, but you really have been saving us.”

“I have, I’ve had help though, couldn’t have survived the troll without Gaius.”

“Still though, you deserve more recognition Merlin.”

“I don’t do it because I want a reward or recognition, everything I do Arthur I do for you, for Camelot, for my friends.”

“I know that Merlin. I don’t feel like I’m obliged to reward you to ensure you continue doing your work, I want to reward you because I want to keep you safe and make you happy.” A great swelling of pride and relief and utter joy fill Merlin, he feels like he fell asleep sometime during the conversation so he can’t help but ask for confirmation.

“You do?” Arthur nods. “Thank you Arthur, I don’t think you know how much that means to me.”

“I’m going to set things right Merlin. I’ll see if I can take an indirect approach with my father, get him to change his mind, and as that’s happening I’ll ensure that those with magic who used it without evil intent either never get captured or are smuggled out of Camelot.”

Merlin’s close to tears when he says, “Thank you Arthur.”

“I don’t really understand why you keep thanking me but you’re welcome Merlin.” They’re silent after that, Merlin’s beginning to doze off when Arthur presses his lips to Merlin’s brow. Arthur startles when Merlin moves, maybe he thought he was already asleep, he starts to move away but Merlin catches him, presses his lips to the corner of Arthur’s mouth and feels him relax back into their embrace. They don’t discuss it and fall asleep soon after.

After that Merlin finds himself in Arthur’s bed almost every night. While they do not discuss or share another kiss their relationship is still evolving. Arthur insists one night that Merlin be on the receiving end of his treatment, that he return the favour. Maybe it’s his unskilled hand or the fact that even in the dim light he can see the scars on Merlin’s body and he becomes curious about them, but Merlin finds that he much prefers giving the rub down than receiving it. When Merlin stays quite about the scars Arthur doesn’t push, Merlin’s thankful for it, even more thankful that it doesn’t change anything between them.

As time passes he watches Arthur’s efforts to convert Uther; although he thinks them futile Arthur really is the only hope they have of changing Uther’s opinion of magic. First Arthur advocates for the druids, claiming they are a peaceful people and it’s a waste of resources to send men after them. He stands up publically once or twice saying that one person’s word cannot be taken against another’s, especially without proof when someone’s life is at risk. He brings up the Witchfinder both times stating that the person claiming to have seen someone doing magic might just be saying so in order to obtain reward or recognition. Surprisingly both times Uther conducts a thorough search (much more of a “trial” than he has ever given anyone accused of magic before) when the searches fail to yield any magical artifacts or additional witnesses Uther lets the suspects go.

Things seem to be looking up.

And then there’s Morgause.

And with her comes Merlin’s worst fear: The day Arthur must choose between his father and Merlin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with this story. Please note that I might not meet my goal of having the final chapter(s) up by Friday. I ended up changing classes so now I'm behind/have to find time to brave the two hour bookstore line and the rest of the story is longer than the chapters I've published thus far. I'm not sure what my schedule will be like so I can't give an exact estimate but I'm still aiming to finish before I have to go back on Monday.


	4. Chapter 4

When Merlin finally convinces Sir Leon to let him through Arthur has his sword poised towards his father’s heart. “Arthur, don’t!” he calls and he can see Arthur pause, he doesn’t relax his grip on either his father or his sword nor does he move it from the position where it is ready to strike.

He does not so much as turn his head but some of his attention is obviously directed towards Merlin when he exclaims, “My mother is dead because of him!” He spits out the words and the amount of venom behind them combined with that look of pure hatred causes Merlin to become struck with fear. He has to remind himself that it isn’t directed towards him, rather it’s for his father.

“He is your father Arthur and despite what he may have done killing him won’t bring your mother, or anyone else back. You’ve already suffered the loss of one parent, do you really want to lose another?”

“I don’t care! He doesn’t deserve to live, to be king! He’s been killing innocent people because he doesn’t want to admit his guilt!”

“Please put the sword down.” Merlin begs.

It seems he’s about to comply until Uther decides to speak up, “Listen to him Arthur.” Arthur only presses harder, drawing blood.

“After everything he’s done can you honestly tell me that he deserves to live?”

“If you kill him the kingdom will be destroyed. You’ll become king but the people won’t trust you, to turn against your own blood, against the highest level of authority in this land? They’ll think you are a power hungry usurper or that Morgause enchanted you. Your place on the throne will be challenged if you do this. If you are overthrown and someone else takes the throne not only is there every possibility that they’ll continue your father’s work but they could be an even worse king.”

“I no longer recognize this tyrant,” Arthur gives him a violent shake, “as my father! I refuse to be related to a man who executes those who use magic and yet he has used it himself! He has caused so much suffering and pain, I’ll put an end to it.”

“Arthur, Arthur, hey, listen to me. Remember a few months ago when we had that talk? About good and bad people? I don’t think Morgause is a good person. This is what she wants Arthur, to turn you against the king. If you kill Uther the kingdom will be weak during transition, the people will question your leadership and Morgause would have opportunity to strike.”

“Why would she want to strike?”

“I don’t think she’s working alone, apparently Cenred’s acquired a sorceress that matches her description, she works for him.”

He can see Arthur visibly falter, “Was it a lie then? Was that really not my mother?”

“I’m not sure, it was obviously something, I saw it too, felt it. I believe it really was your mother’s spirit we saw but I don’t know how much control Morgause had over her.”

“I don’t know what to do, Merlin. I can’t do nothing, yet you say I can’t kill him. What do I do?”

“Arthur you can’t be-!”

“SHUT UP! You will not speak unless spoken too, is that understood? I don’t know what I’m going to do with you yet but every word out of your mouth makes me more inclined to run you through.”

“Arthur, your judgment is clouded right now, it would be best if you had time to think on this before acting.”

“I have to do something now Merlin, if I don’t he might claim me enchanted or concoct another lie, have me locked up, at the very least he won’t allow me anywhere near him.”

Merlin turns to where the guards and Sir Leon stand shocked by the door, “The three of you have stood witness to this, if the Crown Prince of Camelot were to request you lock the king up in the cells for a few hours would you ensure he was not released?”

“Merlin I don’t really even understand what’s going on, to lock the king up would be treason.”

“I’ll explain briefly then Sir Leon. We snuck out two nights prior to meet Morgause because Arthur refused to go back on his word. When we found her she put him through a test to ensure that he was a man of his word. When Arthur passed the test she said she would grant him a wish and confirmed herself to be a sorceress. She offered to summon the late Queen of Camelot, Ygraine de Bois, so that Arthur could speak with her. Her spirit was called into this world for a brief amount of time where she revealed to Arthur that the reason she died the night of his birth was because she was barren and Uther had struck a bargain with the high priestess Nimueh to exchange her life for the life of his heir-“

“I did not know it would be her life if I had-!”

“SHUT UP! Even if that were true, who cares? You knew a life had to be given, were you willing to sacrifice some poor peasant’s life because it was worth less than the life of an heir? There is nothing more sacred than someone’s life, there is no right more important than the right to live. You had no right to give anyone’s life without their approval! Even if it hadn’t been my mother who perished you’d still be guilty. You could have adopted a child or simply appointed an heir but you went and traded a life so you could continue the precious Pendragon Dynasty.”

“As you can see we aren’t completely certain on the facts. Ygraine’s spirit said she did not know of the bargain, that she would be the one to die yet claimed she would do so willingly if she had known what a wonderful son Arthur would be. The point of the whole matter being that Uther blamed the High Priestess, Nimueh, for Ygraine’s death that night. Uther tried to kill Nimueh and she escaped and, perhaps in retaliation, he began the Great Purge on the basis that magic was evil, which we have now come to conclude is not. Nimueh was a member of the court, apparently the king was warned against using magic to conceive a son but did not listen, he ordered her and she complied. If this is true it means Uther Pendragon is the one responsible for his wife’s death, that he was unable to accept his guilt and turned on his once friends, claiming they were evil, outlawing their very existence and executing thousands whose only crime was to exist.”

Leon’s face has turned grim. “Is this true, my lord?”

“I didn’t know-“ Arthur shakes him to shut him up.

“That was a yes or no question, I’m allowing you to answer yes or no to it, I don’t care about the details. Did you ask Nimueh to use magic so that you could have an heir? Think carefully how you answer, I will not simply drop this matter, I will investigate and I will do something unspeakable if I find you have lied.”

The old king bows his head, “Yes.” Arthur picks him up swings him around and shoves him toward Sir Leon.

“Get him out of my sight! I don’t even care where so long as it’s away from me! But make sure he’ll be able to face me later when I figure out what to do with him!.”

The guards and Leon shift awkwardly and Leon actually turns to Merlin in askance. “Perhaps he can remain in his chambers for a few hours?” Leon nods, it’s much less demeaning than locking the king in a cell. Merlin dismisses them and then it is only himself and Arthur in the room. Arthur has collapsed to his knees, energy drained.

“What do I do Merlin?”

“The king has been taken to his chambers where he will remain until you are ready to deal with him. I suggest we head back to your chambers get you out of your mail, get you something to drink and eat, and then perhaps I can give you a rub down?” Arthur nods his consent and Merlin continues, “If you fall asleep I can go see Geoffrey to collect records of the event, ask for witnesses, he and Gaius would have been there. When you wake I’ll have most of the evidence compiled for you to hold a fair trial.”

“Thank you Merlin.”

Once Arthur’s fallen asleep Merlin takes his leave. Directly outside Arthur’s chambers there is a whole army of people that really have no right to be there, everyone from servants to their children to knights and courtiers. Luckily none of them had tried to interrupt earlier nor are they loud enough to risk waking Arthur up but it’s clear they’re all hoping for some answers. That is about to change when he catches the Lady Morgana on a war path. She’s so worked up that she doesn’t hear him telling her to wait and he ends up having to physically drag her away from the door then cover her mouth when she’s about to start protesting. “Tell me what the hell is going on Merlin!” she demands when she’s finally calmed down enough to listen to Merlin when he tells her that Arthur needs rest and she has resorted to whisper yelling. Merlin, quickly glancing around at their audience, decides that it is safest if they move into another hallway, hoping that they’ll get the message. Few of them dare to follow and none of them get too close. “Rumor’s probably gone around the entire castle now that Arthur almost killed his father. And then there was a fight going on outside the king’s chambers between some of the guards. Everyone within the palace from Lord to lowly peasant is being divided between Uther and Arthur depending on where their loyalties lie. What the hell is happening? And don’t even think about telling me you don’t know,” she threatens pointing an accusing finger at him, “you never leave Arthur’s side.”

“Hush, my lady. The rumors hold at least some truth. As you know Arthur fought Morgause and lost, she spared his life on the promise that he would come to her three days post melee and do whatever she asked.”

“And Uther forbade him and I’m assuming the two of you snuck out and went anyway. Surly she did not order him to kill his own father though.”

“No, she is much more cunning than that. I’m currently on an errand for Arthur to unearth the real truth as we are not sure how much of what we heard through Morgause is true. All we know is she is a high priestess, probably working under Cenred’s orders. It’s understandable that they would manipulate Arthur into killing the king in order profit from the chaos that would result. I’ve managed to calm Arthur back to reason for now though I fear what he will do should he discover that what we were told is the truth. I am attempting to gather evidence and we will hold a trial of sorts to determine if Uther is guilty, it sounds quiet treasonous but Arthur and I both believe that he is guilty. If that guilt becomes known to others even they might reject him as king.”

“But what is he guilty of?”

“Morgana, I can’t tell you, not yet. Forgive me but I know you can become very passionate about things and if I tell you I fear you’ll turn on your guardian. Should what Arthur and I heard turn out to be false I don’t want you to face the king’s wrath for siding with us. Arthur he will probably exempt but I cannot guarantee your safety.”

“You refuse me?” She cocks her eyebrow, daring him to defy her again.

“Morgana I’m trying to keep you safe and I know you are no damsel in distress and that normally you’re more than capable of looking after yourself but the upheaval this will create will be dangerous enough for you without risking Uther’s wrath should we be wrong.” Finally she seems to deflate and accept the situation.

“And what of you, Merlin? Who will protect you?” She asks showing some concern for her friend.

“Hopefully Arthur, should it come down to it, but there’ll probably be little he’ll be able to do. I’m not just following his orders this time, so we can’t just pretend that I’m a good servant just following his orders. I took control of the situation earlier, I also might have ignored the king and social rank by ordering the crown prince, knight, and guards of Camelot around.-OW!” He exclaims rubbing at the back of his neck to relieve the sting caused by her sudden slap.

“Why on earth would you stick your neck out like that?!”

“Because the alternative was a war with Cenred and the destruction and downfall of Camelot as we know it. I’ve become quite fond of this city and many of her people and do not want to see their lives lost to war or their livelihood threatened due to the aftermath. I care about you Morgana, about Gwen, Gaius, Arthur, I’ve even had the chance to get to know some of the knights, I don’t want anyone to die, to become enslaved, to lose everything they hold dear. I know Uther’s rule is not the best, but I’ve lived under Cenred’s rule too and he’s even worse.”

“Then what’s the best possible outcome to this situation?”

“It’s very improbable but still possible if I play my cards right. Best possible situation, in short, is that Uther’s guilty, he admits to it in front of everyone at court, a vote of sorts is held in favour of removing Uther’s title and handing over the kingdom to Arthur. It’d also be great if Uther abdicated of his own free will and didn’t have to be forcibly removed. And if everyone kept an open mind it’d really help us transition smoothly.”

“That sounds like a lot of ‘if’s.”

“It is, but I’m taking it one step at a time. First we have to prove Uther’s guilt, so if you’ll excuse me I have to go gather evidence from the library. If the rumors have spread as you said and Geoffrey is at all capable of his job he’ll already have the books I require. Could I bother you with removing the crowd that’s gathered outside Arthur’s chambers?”

Morgana looks briefly ashamed, “Of course and forgive me for keeping you Merlin.” Merlin gives a polite bow and proceeds down the hallway.

“Merlin!” Morgana calls out right as he’s rounded the corner. She quickly catches up with him so that he need not head back. “You really believe that Morgause is working with Cenred, that she seeks to harm Camelot?”

Merlin takes a deep breath, he doesn’t have time for this but he can’t risk losing Morgana’s trust, he’s already pushed too far recently. “Most everything is uncertain right now but I am most certain she is a high priestess. She summoned a spirit in front of us, something that takes an extreme amount of power. My mother, who remains in Ealdor and communicates with me frequently, informed me that Cenred has been boasting that he has added a high priestess to his army of sorcerers. High priestesses are rare so if the rumor is true then it must be referring to Morgause. Personally though I think it is more probable that she is working with him or even above him rather than under him.”

“An army of sorcerers?” She’s stalling and he can tell and he doesn’t really have time for this, knows what he final question will be already but he must play the game.

“Yes, being on the boarder of Camelot to prevent a way many of the neighbouring countries also have supposed laws regarding magic. In Essetir it is apparently illegal but instead of death being the sentence practitioners are forced to join the army. It’s sort of a lie though because Cenred has people who’ll teach magic to anyone interested if they join the army. His goal has never been to restrict or eliminate magic but to use it to his advantage.”

She nods, head bowed looking nervous, he hopes she is done stalling, “It is just… she was kind to me.”

“She was kind to Arthur too, she spared his life, then rewarded him for keeping his word, but there was ulterior motive behind it.”

She holds out her hand to him, “She left me this bracelet. She had initially commented that I looked tired and offered it to me saying it was a healing bracelet and would help me sleep. After her departure I found it in my room and it seems to be effective, I’ve slept peacefully these last nights.” It is improbable Morgause was seeking to harm Morgana in any way but she does not know that, does not know he knows that.

“I know you probably don’t want to hear this if you believe it to bring you relief from something you have suffered from for so long but it would probably be best if you not wear it, at least until we can further examine it. It’s possible that Morgause has set up an alternative way to destroy Camelot if her initial plan did not work. Even if that bracelet really is preventing your nightmares we currently have no way of knowing that it will not make you a slave to Morgause’s desires, or cause you to become physically ill. We saw what happened when Uther thought you had been kidnapped by the druids, who knows what he will do if your life is on the line and someone is putting a price on the cure.”

She nods again, more sure this time, removing the bracelet as he speaks, mind made up. “Thank you Merlin. I take it I’ll see you in council chambers in a few hours?”

“If everything goes to plan, yes. The trial may be a long one, I suggest you and Gwen get some rest while you can, unless, of course, you feel up to squashing rumors and calming the masses?” She laughs.

“If everything is resolved quickly I don’t think that’ll be necessary. Good luck in your search Merlin.”

“Thank you!”

When he reaches the library he finds both Gaius and Geoffrey present as well as another gaggle of courtiers and servants clustered outside. Gaius ushers him in before closing the door. The two old men look very somber.

“It’s true then?” Merlin asks of Gaius knowing his fatherly figure will understand exactly what he is implying.

“I don’t know the entirety of what you and Arthur discovered but yes, it is.”

At that point Geoffrey clears his throat from where he is sitting at his desk, “I believe you do not have much time to resolve this so I have complied some of the documents of interest for you. For time’s sake Gaius and I believe that it would be beneficial for us to tell you the story and you refrain from asking questions of us until the end.”

“Of course, thank you.” Gaius directs him to one of the two chairs that have been brought before Geoffrey’s desk then hands him a plate of food when he sits. Merlin realizes only then how hungry he is and he nods his thanks as he accepts both the platter and the jug of watered wine.

It is Geoffrey who begins, “When Uther took over Camelot there were a lot of changes and negotiations made. The Isle of the Blessed resides within Camelot’s boarders and as such Camelot was the center of the magical community. I, personally, do not know much about magic and its history. I know that at the time the high priestesses acted as rulers, while for the most part the magical community didn’t need governing if there was ever a dispute it was the high priestesses that would solve it. The laws of the magical community are also unclear to me but I know they valued balance and the high priestesses were the ones responsible for maintaining it. One of the nine was sent to Camelot to ensure that the magical community would retain the same rights they had experienced in the past. Nimueh became a permanent member of Uther’s court. She was the bridge between the two peoples and thanks to her magic she could remain in communication with the other eight without having to leave Camelot. Initially King Uther was thrilled with this arrangement, he requested Nimueh’s help with many things and she complied, stopping plagues, defeating monsters, healing injuries, increasing the harvest. I believe he forgot that she was not his servant for he became enraged when she initially refused to grant him his request.”

Gaius takes over, “Uther was besotted with Ygraine from the moment he saw her but I fear the feeling wasn’t exactly mutual. Tristian, Ygraine’s older brother and the head of the de Bois family after their father’s passing, encouraged the marriage. Ygraine felt obliged to accept because she had been led to believe that Uther would be the best option. She was significantly younger than him, at the time of their engagement she was fifteen to his twenty eight, and I originally expressed concerns about her attempting pregnancy so young but those fears were unwarranted as it became clear after five years that Ygraine was barren. I had exhausted all of the natural routes in order to help them conceive. I believe Ygraine might have been relieved, I know originally she felt too young to be a mother, I am not sure if her maternal instinct manifested as she aged but I believe she thought being barren was a decent price to pay to be free of Uther”

“You see, marriage is a sacred vow and can only be broken under two circumstances, the first, death. The second is if the succession of a dynasty is an issue and the woman is unable to provide an heir. With nobles it is often suggested a man take on a mistress since, while his holdings are important and should be passed on to ensure smooth running of his household and his land, in the end, it is often easier for a king to redistribute the land should no heir be produced than to have the marriage nullified. Kings are the highest authority of the land, no one has the right to appoint a new king but the current one. Should a king die without appointing an heir the land would be thrown into chaos as various lords competed for the throne. But taking a mistress would cause its own problems. While the king might be able to obtain a natural heir this way should he die before the child becomes of age who would rule? Naturally it should be the woman who he crowned queen, his wife, but the prince would have to learn to rule the land and while there are tutors and councillors it is thought best that they learn by co-ruling with their parents. Not to mention a child born out of wedlock can be argued to not belong to a man at all. So for the sake of everyone we allow a nullification of the marriage, a legal loophole that says if a woman cannot provide sons for a man then she is not a woman, and since marriage is only valid between a man and a woman, they are not married. Apparently though King Uther’s love for Ygraine ran too deep, he refused to cast her aside.”

“He requested Nimueh help them conceive an heir.” The two men say in unison.

“I knew about the balance and tried to warn him away,” Gaius says ashamed.

“We all did,” Geoffrey confirms, “do not blame yourself, my friend.”

“He was desperate though, the kingdom was unsettled, uncertain about the future. But he’s stubborn and I believe the more he was pushed to cast Ygraine away in favour of an heir the more he was determined to have both. I doubt anyone knew whose life would be traded for Arthur’s, in the end it was the queen’s.”

“When Nimueh could not reverse the process or bring Ygraine back and take Uther’s life instead the king had her thrust from the court and banished from Camelot.”

“He suffered from a great bought of melancholy for many months, the purge was not an immediate thing. Members of the court had to run the kingdom, servants had to raise Arthur. When Uther emerged from his melancholic state he claimed magic to be evil, banned it.”

“His first decree though was not to hunt known sorcerers or destroy magical tomes and artifacts but to avenge Ygraine by killing Nimueh, the woman he claimed murdered her. She evaded him, as did the other eight high priestesses. Perhaps in retaliation he began the purge, those who practiced magic, were in possession of items with magical properties, even those suspected of magic were rounded up and executed. If he had hoped that Nimueh would come forward in attempt to stop it he was grossly mistaken. The high priestesses declared war on Camelot and many lost their lives in the following months.”

“Uther learned though that the priestesses drew their strength from each other and the earth. The strongest place of course being the isle where they lived and practiced. In their attack they had left the temple rather deserted, just a few blood guard to protect the place and its artifacts. He had it destroyed and when the priestesses returned in attempt to save it or at least some of their precious artifacts many of them were slain. Without the power of the isle and the priestesses to act as seers and guides the rest of the magical community was left rather defenseless. Many ran, those strong enough to do so, mainly the druids, went into hiding.”

“The capture of The Great Dragon, who resides imprisoned under the castle to this day, marks the official end to The Great Purge. While the killings still occurred they were much more infrequent, the great places of magic had been destroyed and so had the magical leaders, Nimueh was the only fully fledged high priestess whose death we could not confirm. These,” Geoffrey says indicating to two large tomes and a bundle of loose sheets of parchment, “are the names of all the known victims. Included are the dates and locations of their births and deaths, the date of their capture, if valid, the means of their death, and whether they were even confirmed to be capable of magic. The first tome here is dedicated to what I believe was the upper tier of the community’s hierarchy. The deaths of the high priestesses, their blood guard, the dragon lords, dragons, and the like. There is also an inventory of everything destroyed, including places of worship, and magical artifacts that now remain in the vaults. The second tome here lists anyone else killed during the purge. These sheets are everyone after, I haven’t had them bound yet as the list grows although upon my death they are supposed to be made into a book, so that the new genealogist can create his own documentation.” He then lifts up a much smaller book, it is not a quarter the width of the others. “This is a memoir for the late Queen Ygraine. One of my duties is to document the life of the royal family. I began this one the day of their marriage with a brief synopsis of her childhood that I was able to gather from the family. Normally each book is supposed to span a segment of their life. For example this one here,” he says holding up one a little thicker than Ygraine’s, “covers Prince Arthur from birth to battlefield. In other words, until he started squiring for his father.”

He pauses for a moment and Merlin’s not sure what he’s waiting for or if he’s simply forgotten what he’s doing. Then Gaius coughs and says, “A very creative title Geoffrey.”

Geoffrey puffs out his chest, “Yes, I thought so too.” Luckily he continues after that.

“I’ve included both of these because you might be able to get something out of the last chapter of Ygraine’s and the first chapter of Arthur’s. Finally, these three tomes.” And they really are thick, heavy tomes, Geoffrey holds up the largest first, “court proceedings for the time surrounding the purge; it covers Nimueh’s position in court and her deeds as well as the laws, these were chronological. At the time it was expected each tome cover a year and each time a council session was held notes were taken, personally, what with how the court so drastically changed, I would have split it into two separate books but I didn’t have permission, nor did I know how drastically things would change. This one,” he says holding up the next one covered in a light cream leather, “is for Uther Pendragon spanning the days of his peaceful era, after he had asserted his right to the throne and before his wife’s death. This last one,” it’s appropriately black leather that binds it, “is also for the king starting with Ygraine’s death and ending with the end of the Purge.” He sets the books back down rather noisily. “Was there anything else you needed?”

“Merlin swallows the last mouthful of his wine, “Documentation wise I think you’ve done an excellent job, I can’t think of anything else I will need. Although I will need them in the council chambers and I think you would be the one best suited to explain them to the rest of the court. I would like to use both of you as witnesses though.” He can see he immediately has Gaius’ support Geoffrey looks a little more hesitant.

“This already is quite treasonous, I’m not sure I want to speak out against the king.”

“Lord Monmouth, Uther’s actions have been treasonous and cannot be allowed to continue. We must bring him to justice, if the rest of the court believes him to be guilty he will be dethroned and Arthur will be crowned king, you’ll have his gratitude if you do this. With your help I see no reason for things not to go smoothly. If you do not aid us it is possible Uther will remain king, in that case you may be punished for helping us this far.”

He looks to Gaius before huffing out a “fine.”

Merlin beams, “Thank you! For everything, both of you. I must go wake Arthur now and inform him. Can the two of you arrange for the council to meet in two hours’ time? We should be prepared by then.”

Geoffrey looks like he’s about to protest, something about not being a servant, but Gaius cuts in first, “Of course my boy, go see to Arthur.”

There’s no time for Arthur to bathe or for the bed to be made but Merlin ensures that he looks every part of the future king all the while running him through the evidence they have. Arthur’s fist tightens and he growls, “It’s true then,” when Merlin first tells him.

Merlin calms him quickly, “Arthur, remember what I said earlier. If you act alone the people will turn against you, deem you a usurper, let the evidence speak for itself, I’m sure the council will demand Uther abdicate.”

“And if they don’t? I should have killed him when I had the chance.”

“I couldn’t let you do that though.”

“And why not, do you think he deserves mercy? Are you loyal to him before me?”

“What? Of course not! You have always been my king, Arthur, I serve you. If I had let you kill Uther earlier you would have come to regret it, even if we later found the evidence that indicates your actions were justified. It would always remain in the back of your head that you had killed your father without proof, that he could have been innocent and you took the word of a sorceress over that over your blood and sovereign. I fear that you may have come to feel the evidence was falsified that Morgause lied, even if you just came to regret your decision due to the consequences. The only thing you’d be able to blame would be magic, and maybe because of that you’d agree with your father’s ideas, believe it evil, then where would we be? Worse off than when we started. I couldn’t let that happen Arthur.”

“It wouldn’t have. I could never become like that monster. Those with magic are innocent. No matter what happened I wouldn’t hunt them, try to drive them to extinction. They could be a benefit to this kingdom. I just need to prove that to the council. I’ll need to prove I’m serious about it to the magical community as well. Do you think they’d trust Gaius, I know he practiced once but they might hold resentment for the fact that he got to keep his life in exchange for not using his magic. I don’t even know how to contact magic users, it’d be useful to have them here tonight, to tell their side of the story, to show they are capable of more than just destruction. There are probably so few of them left, a few druids, maybe a handful that managed to escape, even if I could contact them it will take days for them to travel here and we don’t have days.”

It’s time. “You’d be surprised.”

“Sorry?”

“Magic is resilient, it went into hiding but is very much still here.”

Arthur looks shocked, “Do you know of anyone, has Gaius told you about a sorcerer, or sorceress… is that even the correct way to address them? Do they prefer witch, wizard, warlock, mage?” He trails off but before Merlin can say anything Arthur suddenly exclaims, “It’s Guinevere, isn’t it?” And Merlin’s a bit baffled as to how he drew that conclusion.

“What?”

“That light that guided me in the caves, only she and Gaius knew I was going to fetch the mortaeus flower, and her father was healed during that plague that was being caused by that monster in the reservoir, you covered for her. And then-“

“It’s not Gwen!”

Arthur stops, “Really? How do you even know though? I mean, if those with magic are hiding in plain sight how are you to know who has it and who doesn’t? You can’t prove they don’t have magic, you can only hope to catch them in the act so that you can say they do.” Arthur’s working himself up, pacing, and becoming a bit hysterical, he suddenly pauses, “Unless you know it’s not Guinevere because you know who actually did it. Is it even just one person?” Merlin stops his resumed pacing by placing his hands on Arthur’s shoulders in a firm grip. He uses his thumbs to rub at Arthur’s clavicles, an act meant to relax them both.

“I know of at least one other person, there are probably more though, no one is keen on revealing themselves as they don’t know who can be trusted. I cannot tell you the name of the other person, it is not my secret to tell, even if I know for certain that you won’t harm them I will not abuse their trust. If everything goes to plan those with magic will step out of the shadows soon. I haven’t permission from anyone else to reveal them, I hope you will forgive me for keeping their secrets.”

Arthur puts his hands on Merlin’s shoulders, “Of course, I know you are a loyal person, you can be loyal to more than one person at once, I will not hold it against you if you keep their secrets. But why did you bring this up now if you cannot yield a name, give me someone to help us tonight.”

“I didn’t say that. You have to understand that I trust you Arthur but until this day you felt loyal to the king as well, I didn’t want you to be burdened with this, to know that you had to choose one person over the other or that you could only be partially loyal to each. I didn’t want to cause you that grief.”

“You’re not really making any sense Merlin.”

Merlin sinks to his knees, maintaining a grip on Arthur’s right hand as he does so. “There is only one person whose secret I can give you,” he swallows, head bowed praying for the best, “and that is my own.” He holds Arthur’s eye to ensure the other man knows he speaks the truth. “I’m a sorcerer, I have magic. And I use it for you Arthur. Always for you.”

At first Arthur just gapes, then he proceeds to make some sounds, the first few syllables of abandoned questions, finally his expression settles on disbelief and he manages to force out a, “You?”

Merlin nods but says no more, he instead decides a demonstration is in order. He lets Arthur watch as his eyes flash gold and he summons a familiar light.

“But you were unconscious! Dying!”

“I was, even in my dying state I was protecting you. Apparently there is a prophecy, in which the druids call me Emrys. Emrys is the protector of The Once and Future King, together they are supposed to unite Albion and bring about a golden age. I am not sure how much truth is in the legend, nor if I really am Emrys but if I am, then that makes you The Once and Future King, Arthur. That would explain how I was able to protect you.”

“I-I take it you are strong then, for them to believe you to be Emrys.”

“Gaius says he has never met anyone like me. Most people have to learn magic, some develop it over time, but I was born with it. I could move my toys before I could talk. It is unconscious for me. So far my only limit has been my imagination.”

“And what if we are not these people? Or if you are Emrys but I am not actually your king?” Arthur asks a bit of fear seeping into his words.

“Then we shall become them. Perhaps it was destiny that led me to Camelot, that caused me to save your life and rewarded me with a position where I could be near you. Perhaps though, it was my own decisions. We can make our own destinies.”

“Can we?”

“Why not?” He shrugs and then goes on to say, “You’re taking this remarkably well, I’m proud of you Arthur.”

“I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet, that you have magic. It’s like I dreamt you said that and now I’m awake and just pushing that fact away because it doesn’t apply to reality.”

Merlin can’t help but frown, apparently this has the potential to still end badly. “Should I have waited to tell you until after council then? I don’t want it to hit you mid trial.”

“No, no, I think it’s better that you told me now. If you told me after it wouldn’t have felt like you trust me. Like you were waiting for me to become king and legalize magic because you felt unsafe telling me. I’m not sure if I’m upset with you for waiting this long. Right now it feels like I never felt anything for that man, not the loyalty of a subject to his king, nor the love of a son for his father. Yet I know I must have, so I might be feeling thankful that you didn’t put me in that situation,” he pulls away and plops back down on his bed, head in hands, “I don’t know.”

“Alright, um, I guess the first question I should ask then is if you’re afraid of me.”

Arthur looks up at him, “Merlin I don’t think I could ever be afraid of you, you’re…” he gestures towards Merlin as a whole, “you.” He finishes with a shrug. “You’re clumsy and silly, kind and loyal, you hate hunting and any activity where someone could get hurt. You’ve been around long enough that if you wanted to do something terrible you would have already. I’m just not sure why, if you’re as powerful as you claim to be, you are emptying my chamber pot instead of, I don’t know, a rich lord with servants to toil your land. I mean how have you put up with me? I’ve been rude to you, used you as a training dummy, thrown things at you, all this time you could have at least defended yourself, it not gone on the offensive and turned me into a frog or something. And when I’ve piled you with chores you could easily be finishing them with magic instead of hurting yourself carrying heavy loads or sharpening swords or even just with your hands in cold water.”

“Oh, I haven’t been doing everything by hand, whenever it’s safe I often cheat, it’s how I get so much done. I’m pretty sure even the best servant couldn’t finish all the chores you assign. Gaius gets mad if he catches me though.”

“So Gaius knows… does anyone else?”

“My mother, Will did before he…”

“He didn’t have magic, did he?” Merlin shakes his head trying not to cry, “He was protecting you, and you were ready to tell me even before the battle.” Merlin nods, “Anyone else?”

“Um, yeah, uh, you know there’s a dragon under the castle, right?”

“I’ve heard rumors but I figured if it ever was there it’d be long dead, but let me guess you’ve befriended the thing and go down there to practice magic.”

“I wouldn’t exactly say befriended. It called me to it and he’s incredibly infuriating, always speaking riddles and prophesies, not-“

“Wait, wait, wait! It can _talk_?”

“Yes?”

“Doesn’t that mean it’s, oh I don’t know, seeking revenge and trying to destroy absolutely everything?”

“As I was about to say he’s manipulative. He acts like he’s helping me by giving me advice but he’s only looking out for himself, remember Cedric?”

“Will you ever let me live that down?”

“I’m not trying to rub it in! I’m just saying that I needed a powerful spell to trap Cornelius’ soul back in the jewel. The dragon gave it to me but he also made me promise to free him. I hadn’t spoken to him in months because he deceived me and I angered him telling him he’d never be free.”

“What did it do that made you so angry? I’ve never known you to hold a grudge.”

“He almost had my mother and Gaius killed. He knew what the price would be but he convinced me that you had to live-“

“Me?”

“This was after the Questing Beast. He made it sound like I could trade my life for yours, but once you had begun to recover I discovered I was still alive but my mother lay dying. I confronted him and he said it was a necessary price, that you had to live for magic to return and him to be free, and that’s when I lost it. I had intended to go back, trade my life for my mother’s but Gaius beat me to it.”

“What exactly happened then, because all of us are still alive?”

“You remember Nimueh? She summoned the Afrac and tried to kill you when you were in the Caves of Balor? She was also the high priestess that used to be a member of Uther’s court and helped your mother conceive?”

“Why on earth would you make a deal with her? That was reckless Merlin!”

“I know! You were dying though and I had to save you. I ended up killing her and the balance was restored.”

Arthur rubs at his temples, “Tell me exactly how many times you have saved me and this kingdom.”

“Well, it’s sort of a long list and I might not remember everything but here goes: First time I saved your live was Mary Collins, I dropped the chandelier on her and then slowed down time when she threw the knife. I summoned the snakes out of Valliant’s shield. I healed Gwen’s father and then later summoned the wind that blew your torch and killed the Afrac, Gaius told me after I was heal that it was I that summoned the light that guided you… what was next? I think next was that I healed your father after Edwin got to him, killed Sophia and her father, they were Side by the way and she had placed you under a spell, they had been banished from Avalon and tried to sacrifice you to get back in. Then there was Mordred but I didn’t really save your life that time, just opened a gate… oh! I forgot the griffin, I enchanted the lance Lancelot used, oh and he caught me so he knows too.”

“Lancelot knows!”

“Yes, it wasn’t like I told him! I got too loud saying the spell and it’s hard to miss the fact that your lance sprouts magical blue flames suddenly! Uh, I created a sword that killed the Black Knight, the dragon enchanted it, Tom made it, it was supposed to be for you but then Uther ended up fighting in your place, the dragon got mad told me the sword was only meant for your hands that a man like Uther could only commit evil with it, can’t be destroyed, blah blah, has to be placed where no one can use it, blah blah, how could you do this to me young warlock, blah blah.”

“Warlock?” Arthur asks intrigued.

“Yeah, personally I don’t really care what people call me but apparently a sorcerer is someone who has to study magic and a warlock is someone who develops it on their own, in my case I was born with it. Same goes for a sorceress and a witch.”

“Alright and what of these high priestesses?”

“I don’t know much about them. Apparently there were nine of them who lived and worked and worshiped on The Isle of the Blessed. They were all incredibly strong witches, chosen or perhaps just dedicated, to the Triple Goddess thus having power over life and death and their magic sustained them. You saw Nimueh, she was older than Gaius but her magic kept her young looking. According to Geoffrey they were the sort of rulers of the magical community and the ones responsible for maintaining the balance.”

“Alright continue on.”

“Uh, now I lost track of where I was. Ealdor, obviously, I got you a second chance after you failed one of the unicorn’s trials, Morgana attempted to kill Uther once, this was after he had Gwen’s father killed and chained her up. She had hired the same sorcerer that had practiced alchemy is Tom’s forge, set up an ambush at her father’s grave, she ended up having a change of heart and killed the leader but I had to kill a few lackeys. Then there was the Questing Beast, Cornelius, the assassin Odin sent, I helped us escape after rescuing Gwen and Lancelot, freed Camelot of having a troll for Queen, although in the end I didn’t really use magic to do that one, Aredian wasn’t really a sorcerer, but he did give those belladonna eye drops to the witnesses and attempted to frame Gaius. It was thanks to you that we figured it out, I actually thought the bracelet was Gaius’ and he thought it was mine, that’s how I knew Aredian was a crook. I planted evidence in his room like he did to Gaius, made a frog come out of his throat for good measure, when he grabbed Morgana I heated the hilt of the blade so that it burned him causing him to drop it, release her and end up falling out the window. And here we are.”

“Here we are.” Arthur confirms.

“Of course there were numerus bandits and the like along the way.” Arthur just snorts in amusement and Merlin smiles, “I hope this means you don’t hate me.”

“Of course I don’t hate you Merlin,” Arthur scolds as he stands and makes his way back over to Merlin cupping his face in his hands, he swallows and then has a look of determination on his face and announces, “I could never hate you, I love you too much.” Merlin can’t help the few tears that run down his cheeks, “Do you not feel the same?” Arthur asks, misinterpreting.

“I’m sorry, I’m really happy Arthur. I never thought things would work out this well, I never even thought of being able to fall in love, to be loved in return. I thought for sure that even if you felt anything for me we could never be more than friends, that I’d have to lose you to some princess.”

“Merlin, Merlin, I cannot make promises, it’s too soon, I might still be required to marry, to produce an heir, but I do love you. I am yours. Are-” he clears his throat, “are you mine?”

“Of course, Arthur, always and forever. Whichever way you need me. Your servant, your friend, your protector, something more, something in between. I was born to serve you Arthur, I’ve said it once before and I’ll say it again, I’m happy to be your servant, until the day I die.”

Arthur beams, brushes their lips together, “Then what you said earlier is true, we’ll create our own destiny,” he pauses, “I believe it is time to start now. Shall we head down?” Merlin takes Arthur’s hand and squeezes it in reassurance and Arthur takes a deep breath preparing himself. “You’ll stand with me? You’re willing to expose yourself to everyone.”

“If it’s required. I still don’t feel completely safe, I don’t want to be apart from you whether that is because I am hunted or because they believe I’ve enchanted you and attempt to banish me. But I will be your warlock if I need to be.”

“No, I don’t want you to stand beside me as a servant, even if as a warlock, I want you to stand beside me as an equal…, as my consort.”

 “Your consort?” Merlin asks surprised.

Arthur winces, “Is that too soon?”

“I wasn’t expecting it, is all. I’ll be your consort if you want me to be.”

Arthur smiles at him, raises their joined hands to his lips to brush them against Merlin’s knuckles before heading out the door.

They are probably the last to arrive. The room is set up in its normal fashion, the three chairs at the front for the royal family, the middle and largest reserved for the king, the one right of that for the prince and the intricate one on the left for Morgana. Normally the prisoner stands before the king, flanked by the guards, but the king is the man on trial so everyone is standing around awkwardly unsure of what to do. That is, except for Lady Morgana it would seem. She’s taken her place and Gwen stands behind her as always.

Everyone is waiting for Arthur to make a move and while deciding where to sit or stand seems like such a minor decision Merlin’s forgotten to inform Arthur of the consequences of the wrong choice. Arthur doesn’t hesitate though walking to the front and center of the room facing the crowd. While the councillors and royal family are the only ones required to attend these sorts of events normally they are open to all courtiers and visiting nobility but few people attend due to the boring content covered. Tonight though the hall is almost over flowing and not just with courtiers, there are a fair number of servants present that really have no right to be here. Even the part of floor reserved as a stage, where Uther now stands flanked by guards, has drastically decreased in size.

“Good evening everyone,” Arthur begins voice carrying across the room causing the numerous conversations to crease and everyone to fall into a hush. “First of all, thank you all for being present tonight and I apologize for the late hour however I felt it best to address this issue with haste. My goal tonight is to disperse some rumours and obtain a vital truth that I feel will change Camelot forever. I understand that whole matter comes across as treasonous and it may appear that I am trying to usurp the throne, but I am only attempting to do what is right for Camelot. I will attempt to run this trial as we would any other, unfortunately as you can already tell it is normally the king in my position but tonight he is the defendant. Before we begin I ask that you decide now whether you wish to remain present for the trial or not, I fear we might go late into the night and in order to avoid interruption the doors to this chamber will be locked once we begin, no one will be allowed to enter or leave once the trial has begun. For this reason I ask if any of you must return to children, spouses, or your duties either presently or within a few hours you leave now.” A few people shift in hesitation, glancing nervously to see what others are doing. As one people begin to move toward the doors, young maids with children, the elderly who’ll be unable to remain awake for long, some of the knights who have an early morning patrol the next morning. While this is happening a few more people slip in, after a good four minutes Arthur indicates the guards at the doors close and barricade them.

“Tonight we have gathered to determine whether Uther Pendragon is guilty of the following crimes: unlawful ruling of the kingdom, hypocrisy, unjustified murder of innocent persons, women and children included, and the genocide of the magical community.” That of course causes an uproar, they are polite enough to whisper but when almost everyone is whispering it becomes loud. “Silence please!” The whispers die down. “Thank you.”

“In lieu of a regular trial I will begin by presenting evidence against the defendant, at that point the defendant may attempt to prove his innocence, we will then debate back and forth before allowing the audience to question either side. Once everyone is content, giving the delicate nature of this case we will deviate from the norm, instead of passing judgement myself we will hold a vote as to whether you believe him guilty or not. If the majority vote in favour of the defendant’s innocence all charges will be dropped and tomorrow morning we will continue life as we always had. Should the majority of you deem him guilty I will present a variety of punishments and a secondary vote will be held to determine what the punishment will be. I hope this sounds fair and just to all of you, if someone has a better alternative please feel free to speak out now.” Arthur pauses but no one steps forward or speaks out. “Very well, let us begin.”

“As I hope all of you know five nights prior a woman named Morgause crashed the knighting ceremony and challenged me to a duel the following day by the knight’s rules. Morgause, unfortunately… bested me,” he hesitates and speaks softly at this point, ashamed, “but was courteous enough to spare my life in return for my promise that I would go to her three days hence and preform whatever challenge she issued me. Uther Pendragon forbade me from accepting her challenge and confined me to my chambers, but I am a man of my word and with help from my faithful manservant we snuck out to go meet her. After issuing a test to truly determine if I was a man of honour she said she would show me my mother, Queen Ygraine. Morgause is a powerful sorceress,” the whispers start up again, more quiet than before but Arthur just continues, “and she summoned my mother’s spirit so that I could speak with her. While we were conversing my mother revealed to me the truth; that I was born of magic, that she had been barren and that in a state of desperation for an heir, Uther Pendragon asked the sorceress Nimueh to aid them. The old religion requires balance though, for a life to be created one must be taken, as I’m sure you all know the night I came into this world my mother left it.

“A few months later The Great Purge began. Under Uther Pendragon’s orders the army was sent to round up and murder anyone known or suspected to have magic. Not all of these people were even confirmed to have magic, those that did had not done anything wrong, it is not a crime to live, especially to live peacefully. In the following months anything associated with magic was destroyed or killed, humans, creatures of magic, spots of worship, books of spells, healing trinkets, anything and everything suspected to be magical. Even after the official end of The Great Purge this injustice continues, lives are still being lost. I believe many of you have been lied to over the years. First of all, in some cases magic is not a choice, while many people have the potential to use magic they must hone it through study, but for others magic is not a choice, they are born with it or it develops over time, if they do not practice they cannot learn control meaning their magic will manifest without the person’s consent. The second lie is that magic corrupts. It is not some form of devil’s art, no souls are being traded for power, there are no human sacrifices in attempt to gain magic. If one is born with magic they are not born evil, fate has not decided that they are cursed. Everyone in this world has a choice, a choice to be good or evil. Everyone in this world also has varying degrees of power that they may use to express this evilness or this goodness inside them.

“Magic is like a tool, a man can train in magic and use it to threaten and harm, to steal from others. A man can also train in swordsmanship, can use it to threaten and harm, to steal from others. I know that many of the sorcerers you have encountered over the last few years have not left a good impression on you. They are not a majority, the majority of these people are peaceful, live among us in the shadows, fearing the day they are discovered. Those that attack us are often at their wits’ end, they have nothing left to live for. Some of them seek to avenge their loved ones, some of them seek to bring magic back to the land, to provide a better future to those with magic. Others are simply trying to protect themselves and their livelihood. If someone were to perform these acts with a sword it is improbable we’d find them guilty of anything, let alone sentence them to death. Even if magic were evil Uther Pendragon has been a hypocrite, he sentences people to death for using magic but he has done the same. Personally I believe he is unable to face his guilt and is thus using an innocent people as his scapegoat.” He pauses for dramatic effect, letting the idea sink in. “I now call forward the court genealogist who has prepared documents that confirm what I have just explained to you. Seeing as our Lord Monmouth is also a witness to these events I invite him to elaborate on any of my points and add anything I have missed.”

Arthur turns and makes his way to his usual seat as Geoffrey takes the floor, tomes at hand. While the attention is on Geoffrey Merlin places his hand on Arthur’s cloaked shoulder, squeezing gently in support. The only person who’s paying them any attention is Morgana who flips between looking at Uther with hatred and Arthur with a look caught between disbelief and hope. Geoffrey goes on for some time, explaining the way the court was before the purge. He allows the documents to be passed around (“carefully!”) for those who request to see them. Finally he finishes, more people appear to be wavering in their opinions.

From his chair Arthur calls out, “I’d like to call upon our court physician, Gaius, whom was not only a witness but also a practitioner of magic before the purge. Gaius please explain my mother’s barrenness, your warnings, and your experience with magic.” Gaius does not go on for nearly as long, the majority of it said by Geoffrey already but Gaius also isn’t a man who likes to beat around the bush. He refuses to meet Uther’s eyes as he speaks. He finishes and directs a bow toward Arthur.

“I hope none of you consider Gaius evil. He has tended to many of you over the years, some of you he has helped birth. Yet you now know that he once practiced magic, used it to enhance his remedies and better learn and understand the body and various diseases. Even though he no longer practices, the magic he once used to discover various remedies and cures has probably saved many of us.

“This concludes my opening examination of this trial. After I reiterate my argument Uther Pendragon will have a chance to prove his innocence. To summarize, magic is not evil, magic is currently illegal in Camelot, the sentence for using magic is death, Uther Pendragon has used magic to obtain an heir, Uther Pendragon ignored warnings from many of his councillors and the high priestess but proceeded anyway, Queen Ygraine was murdered in order for my life to be created, and the genocide that followed my birth was due to this man’s inability to accept what he had done. Geoffrey will you please preform the truth oath for the king.”

Once Uther has sworn to tell the truth he begins trying to defend himself, his arguments are weak, Merlin can already see defeat in his eyes. Yes, he says, it’s true he not only allowed magic but use it on occasion but that was before he knew it was evil. Everyone who used magic became evil, the only reason Gaius wasn’t was because he stopped before it consumed him. Magic users only sought to bring destruction, they were excellent actors, Nimueh had bided her time until she sought to destroy the kingdom. That she had tried to use him as a puppet and when he wouldn’t bow to her will she tried to destroy him and his kingdom by taking away his beloved Ygraine.

And then he turns on Arthur. “He is corrupted! A child of magic! For years I too was fooled. After overcoming my initial suspicions I was fooled into believing that there really had been a trade, that they hadn’t intended anything beyond my wife’s death, that they thought that’d be enough to end me. For years he seemed to listen to me, to do as I commanded, and all of you encouraged me to accept him as my heir, to protect the future of this kingdom. Look at the chaos we find ourselves in now! The act has been dropped I’m not sure if it was just a matter of time or if the sorceress Morgause had to unlock the evilness within him but it has manifested now for all to see. Even after all I have done to protect this kingdom magic defies us! It has used the monster that emerged from my beloved’s corpse to wreak further havoc, to throw the natural succession into confusion, even this trial is weakening the kingdom, any action taken tonight will be an opening other kingdoms will use to attack. These unnatural creatures feed off of everything evil; death, despair, destruction, they are patient, cunning, and manipulative, do not allow this imposter to fool you! It never was a child of this earth, there was evil there from the beginning and now it attempts to fool you all. Poor Ygraine wanted a son, instead her life was ripped away from her to create this ugly, horrible, unlovable failure of beast, we will not let it destroy the peaceful world Ygraine wanted to build. This demon-“

“Enough!” Poor Arthur, poor, poor, Arthur. He’s fighting back tears, gritting his teeth to try and be honourable, to keep his word and give this tyrant, this monster, a chance to defend itself, but Merlin cannot see him suffer any longer. Not only is Merlin’s beloved suffering but what’s worse is that people look like they are ready to turn against him, that they are falling for Uther’s madness disguised as enraged logic.

All eyes turn to Merlin and he steps out from behind Arthur’s chair. Gwen, Gaius, Morgana and Arthur all give him a warning look, some of them are looking at him like he is crazy. “These are the ramblings of a mad man. He went mad years ago with the death of his wife, the grief mixed with his guilt caused him to be idle for months, when he finally emerged from his melancholy his heart had turned to stone and he decided to hate the world. It is he who has been deceiving you! For years he played the role of a competent king but the last of his sanity has finally left him. I understand that the world you are currently living in is a decent one, depending on who you are you might think it a peaceful one. But it can be so much better than this and Arthur can give you that. Ygraine has watched her son grow, loves him, up until a few days ago this man had done the same, but now in a state of desperation has changed his view of the world in attempt to remain in power. His logic is unreasonable-“

“You are nothing more than a serving boy! You have no right to interrupt me, no concept of logic. You are useless, worthless-!”

“Merlin is my equal!” Arthur bursts in, unable to contain his wounded anger any longer, “You will not speak to my consort in such a manner!” The audience breaks out in an outrage and Uther goes red in the face.

His voice is deathly quiet when he grits out, “Your consort?”

“Yes.” He says it with pride, in a way that dares his judgement to be questioned but Uther is a foolish mad man and takes the challenge.

“How can you expect anyone to take you seriously? A servant for a consort? And a male at that, he can provide you with nothing, no land, no riches, no alliances, no protection, not even so much as an heir. It is clearly not I who is insane.”

Arthur’s stood up, comes to stand next to Merlin on the floor, puts a defiant arm around his waist. “You were besotted with my mother and she couldn’t offer half of that to you. What’s more though is that Merlin makes me happy, can offer me love. You claim my mother didn’t love me? She said otherwise, in fact it was you she blamed, you who betrayed her, you whom she didn’t love. When she found out she was barren she was happy because she thought it would give her a chance to get away from you. But you were too besotted, too stubborn, too _enchanted_ and you kept her imprisoned. You finally offered her freedom in the form of her death.”

“We were in love! How dare you say otherwise! What do you know of love?”

“I know I loved you and you betrayed me! You lied to me, deceived me. You say you taught me to be fair, just, courageous, chivalrous, to do the right thing, to protect Camelot but then you do otherwise or tell me to do otherwise. You tried to have me go against my word! You claim I know nothing of love but would see me marry for the convenience of an alliance, you’ve taken challenges in my place or forbade me from participating. Many of the horrible things that have occurred to Camelot would have never happened if you didn’t commit genocide. These people are desperate, some of them avenging loved ones, some of them attempting to gain the right to live, some of them at this point just want you to suffer the way they have suffered. Words cannot describe how much I hate you, part of me just wants to run away, to never have to face you and your impossible expectations again, but despite all your contradictions I’m trying to do the right thing and protect this kingdom. If the people allow you to continue ruling after tonight I will leave and let this kingdom fall. If by some miracle that time is not before your death then I can be safe in the knowledge that you have no one to succeed you and that when the time comes I’ll have a chance to fight for the throne, and to right the sins you have committed.”

“I have Morgana!”

“How dare you make assumptions, I am your ward, nothing more. For years I have felt mistreated by you and tonight I have seen you for the monster you truly are. If Arthur leaves I’ll leave with him, I will stand by and support you no longer, and you are mad if you expect me to replace Arthur as heir to the throne and continue your work. You can find some other poor fool to be your ward, perhaps a man since obviously women mean nothing to you!”

That’s not what he meant though, Merlin can sense it. “He does not intend to name you heir to the throne Morgana, he means that you are his daughter. At least, that’s how it would appear to this simple peasant, would you be so kind as to confirm or deny this?” The room’s tittering falls completely silent.

“I-I didn’t. It wasn’t planned. We were both so lonely and- it was a mistake and-.”

“Just like it was a mistake that cost Ygraine her life? A mistake that caused you to kill hundreds? And so much for your love for Ygraine! You wouldn’t cast her aside, wouldn’t take another, to this day when people ask if you’ll ever remarry you’ve been claiming you could never betray her but not two years after her death you do and your actions result in a child. Not only that but you committed the ultimate sin against your supposed best friend and first knight Gorlois, to send him into battle and then lay with his wife? That’s an excellent show of honesty, loyalty and friendship right there. Your words mean nothing. You keep no promises, there is no intention, no feeling, behind your words. The other week you summoned The Witchfinder and he almost killed Gaius who has been faithful to you for years but that meant nothing to you. It doesn’t matter who anyone is or what they have done, no one is safe from you, not your knights, not your councillors, not your servants or your people not even your family! I’m sorry but does no one else see that this person before you isn’t even worthy of being called a decent man? He is worse than most criminals, I’ve met bandits with more honour, who tell fewer lies, who are less likely to turn on their friends and their cause. Yet you lot have put up with him as king!”

Everyone is distracted, the room has fallen into chaos and in a way it is all Merlin’s fault. The guards who are supposed to be restraining Uther if need be aren’t even looking at him so it’s no surprise he’s able to grab one of their swords and lunge. He heads straight for Merlin but the attack is so obvious that he’s able to deflect without magic, partly evading partly using Uther’s momentum to continue him on his trajectory towards the back of the room. But he’s forgotten that’s where Morgana and Gwen are standing and it appears Uther’s determined to kill anyone at this point. Morgana screams as he rights himself and lunges at her and while she actually hasn’t slowed time it feels that way. Merlin can feel her power heighten with her fear, quickly awakening from where it lies dormant while she’s awake, and as she thrusts her hands out to attempt to prevent Uther from reaching her it bursts forth, her eyes swirling gold as the wave of power forces Uther back into a pillar. Surprisingly Arthur recovers faster than almost anyone else in the room, “Morgana come here, you too Guinevere.” Morgana’s shaking, looking first at her hands, then at Uther, then at the audience still in shock, before finally landing on her brother, fear present in her expression. Uther begins to stir, “It’s alright Morgana, come here.” Gwen makes the decision for them taking her lady’s arm and guiding them toward where Arthur and Merlin stand. Arthur draws his sword and points it at Uther who is looking at Morgana with renewed hate.

“Both of you!” He spits from where he kneels, “Both of you, monsters! You dare attack your king, your father, after all I’ve done for you?! Gone behind my back and become power hungry, learning magic, I’ll have you all burned to separate the magic from your souls then you can see how well you fair in hell! The demons you sided with will turn on you then!” He lunges again, this time without even bothering to pick up the sword. Arthur’s able to conk him on the back of his head with the hilt of his sword knocking him unconscious.

“Will someone please lock him in the cells?” Arthur inquires prompting Sir Leon and some of the newer knights to step forward, lifting the limp body and leaving the room. “Is anyone injured?” The guard whose sword Uther grabbed has a nick in his leg, two women have fainted, a combination of shock and their corsets being too tight, one of whom has hit her head. While everyone starts trying to tend to them, Arthur included, Merlin reaches out to Morgana as she falls, Gwen seems to finally notice as Merlin gently lowers her to the floor.

“Milady!” She quickly drops to her knees and starts checking for a pulse.

“Gwen, Gwen, it’s alright. She’ll be fine, it’s just exhaustion, she’ll come around shortly.”

“Are you sure?” Arthur must have turned around at that point because suddenly he’s beside them again.

“What happened, was she hurt?”

“She’s just exhausted herself, her powers aren’t strong enough yet to preform magic like that. It was an instinctive act stemming from her fear for her life. She’s already stirring.” And sure enough her eyelids flutter and she tosses her head on Merlin’s lap. She wakes slowly, looking around in confusion at the three of them. Awareness suddenly hits her and she attempts to sit up only to fall back into Merlin’s arms. “Easy Morgana, you’re all right, you’re safe. Just relax, regain your strength.” She is breathing deeply, looking around fanatically for an escape as if she needs to leave because someone’s about to attack. Gwen’s making soothing noises and holding her hands, Arthur’s carding his fingers through her hair from where he sits behind Merlin.

“What are you doing?” He whispers when he catches Merlin’s whispered words and takes in his closed eyes.

“Lending her some of my strength. It’s hard to explain but an act like that will leave a hollow space inside, the world will feel off balance, dreamlike, unsafe. I’m just filling up that void to relax her and encourage it to start healing itself, a process that can take days, by doing this she’ll be able to fill up that void with her own magic, using the power I lent her to pull magic from the world around her again.”

Morgana seems not to hear, somewhat lost in her fear but Gwen’s head snaps up, “What?” And Merlin slowly opens his eyes revealing the golden colour. Gwen gasps dropping Morgana’s hands and covering her mouth. Morgana though is rapidly gaining some colour back and suddenly seems to become aware again. Merlin hastily aborts the spell.

“Morgana,” Arthur draws her attention to him, “are you alright?”

She takes a moment to do inventory of her body, “Yes, yes I think so.” Arthur helps her stand and Merlin holds his hand out to Gwen who looks a bit apprehensive before taking it and allowing him to help her up. Arthur’s put his arm protectively over his sister, the audience is still trying to organize themselves. “You’re not mad?” She asks looking first at Arthur and then at Gwen. “For not telling you, for having magic?”

“Of course not. Tonight is about freeing people with magic, I couldn’t be doing that if I was angry at those in possession of it. And it is understandable you didn’t tell anyone, you were scared. It was you who started the fire in your room, who blew out the window, wasn’t it?” She nods. “When Merlin told me there were people with magic hiding in plain sight I never expected it to be you but it makes sense now. Your nightmares were never just regular dreams were they?”

“They were at first, when I first came he I kept dreaming of my father’s death, of being alone, sometimes of simple things like getting lost in the castle or being attacked by bandits. But they started changing, some of them started coming true. Finally I was having them every night and everything I saw came to pass.”

“You’re a seer.” Merlin tells her. “Gaius was hoping that his sleeping draughts would not only suppress your visions but would stop your powers from fully manifesting. He feared what Uther would do if he found out, you mustn’t blame him.”

“I just wish he had told me what was happening, so I wouldn’t have been so afraid, so that I knew I could talk to someone about it. That someone would protect me.”

“We’ll protect you Morgana, all of us, no matter what happens, you don’t have to be alone anymore.” Arthur tells her looking at Gwen and Merlin in confirmation.

“I can’t believe that you’re my brother. That that monster is our father and I’ve been lied to all these years.”

“I can’t believe that he tried to convince me to court you.” They look at each other in horror thinking of what that implies now. While before they refused because they felt like brother and sister they know now that they actually are related.

“He’s insane.” The other three nod in agreeance.

“We better finish this,” Arthur announces after a moment of silence. The crowd has more or less fallen silent and is awaiting Arthur’s command, his leadership, to determine what to do. Leon and the other knights have returned from the dungeons and Leon announces that the king is secure but that he’s awake once more and acting like a man possessed, rattling at the bars, threatening to kill everyone, attempting to grab anyone who gets too close.

“People of Camelot. I’d like to apologize for the way things have turned out tonight, not only did they not go to plan but it would appear I put your lives in danger. At this point it time we cannot continue as I had planned. At this point in time I would like to call for a vote as to whether you believe my father should continue to rule. Any who have questions or concerns may bring them up now in a civilized manner. You’ll raise your hand to indicate you’d like to speak and once I have called upon you, you may do so.”

A sea of hands goes up. The questions range from silly things like, “do you have magic too?” to things they really not need worry about at this time like, “if that boy’s your consort how will you protect the lineage?” to serious questions like, “do we have to choose between you and Uther? If we are displeased with both of you might we choose someone else to rule?” and “While I believe Uther has proven himself unfit to rule I agree that magic is dangerous and evil, if we vote for you are you going to immediately legalize it or will you still restrict it, give it a chance to prove itself?”

Finally Arthur says, “Alright, alright!” As the people begin to break order and squabble amongst themselves. “Let us hold a tentative vote right now to see where we stand on things. This vote will not determine anything but I ask everyone present vote one way or another by raising their hands. Geoffrey, may I ask you to keep tally and Sir Leon, can you verify his count?” Both of them agree and come to stand up front to better see the audience. “My first question is whether you feel Uther Pendragon is fit to continue ruling, this is a yes or no question. It does not imply that I or anyone else will be taking the throne just whether or not you feel comfortable with his rule. Raise your hand if you want him to continue.” It’s slow but three hands go up, old advisors who have served Uther from the time he was just a warlord seeking to gain Camelot’s throne. “And those who don’t feel he should continue ruling.” Almost everyone else puts up their hands including Merlin, Morgana, Gwen, Leon, and Geoffrey.

“Alright, the next vote is for who feels magic can be given a chance? Those in favour of removing the death penalty, at least temporarily?” Some hands shoot up right away, others hesitate. “And those against it?” Everyone against it votes immediately. “What’s our count for this one Geoffrey?”

“The majority are willing to give magic a chance, my lord, I’m getting 174 for and 34 against. Can you confirm Sir Leon?”

“I can, I’m also getting four who aren’t voting though.”

“I ask again that everyone please vote. For this particular vote four people isn’t going to make a drastic difference but every individual has the power to tip a vote. We shall move on though. The next vote is for whether you would be comfortable with me taking the throne. For now please do not take into consideration what changes I would make but just the knowledge that I would be replacing my father. Would you be willing to serve under me? Would you be willing to trust me to be fair and just and protect this land? Those in favour of me taking the throne?” Geoffrey and Leon start counting, after a few minutes Arthur asks, “And those opposed?” The count is 190 to 22. “And if you now take into account what we discussed here tonight, knowing that I intend to legalize magic, that I intend to make Merlin my consort?” That changes things somewhat drastically. 101 for, 93 against, eighteen people who haven’t voted. Arthur huffs in anger before continuing calmly, “I need everyone to vote, those eighteen of you who didn’t have the potential to change this vote, I know you might not favour either option but I ask that you pick one. This is obviously a topic that might need some clarification so I ask that if anyone has any questions please ask them now in a civilized manner.”

A few hands go up, the first one Arthur calls upon is a young knight, “I personally am not against the idea of revoking the death sentence, especially if you don’t just do it blindly and still punish those using magic if they use it for evil purposes. I’m concerned about succession though. If your father died it was expected you rule in his place, you are his natural heir, but if you die who will rule us? If you take the throne other kingdoms will test you. It is likely there will be a war in our future, if you should fall during that war are we going to be left to the mercy of another king or do you have someone in place to ensure the kingdom and her people are looked after?”

“It is a good question Sir Gareth and I apologize for not having a concrete answer but some new information has become available that changes things. Lady- no, Princess Morgana, should I die in battle or before my time would you be willing to take the throne and co-rule with Merlin?”

Morgana looks shocked, to be honest Merlin is too, just this morning Morgana’s biggest worry was what to wear and now she’s agreeing to be queen and rule the kingdom. “I- uh, yes, of course, it would be an honour.”

“And Merlin, you’d be willing to train within the upcoming months to properly be my consort and have the ability to  co-rule the kingdom with my sister if it comes down to it?”

Merlin need not think of the answer, “Whatever you require of me,” he responds with a polite bow of his head.

“Does that solve the problem?” Another hand goes up asking if that means he’ll expect Morgana and Merlin to get married or if they’ll be allowed to have their own partners in that case how much power do their partners have and whose children get the throne. Arthur says not only is that an improbable situation but that it’s too far in the future to determine now on the spot. An older courtier with a brightly painted face asks what happens if they all live peacefully until they are old and grey, who then rules Camelot? “Again that is an event far in the future that depends on a lot of events in between now and then. Perhaps Merlin and I will have a child either through adoption or surrogacy or some other means. Perhaps Morgana will marry and have children of her own, in that case should I have none of my own her eldest will take the throne. Should none of us produce children perhaps I will appoint someone.” A few people raise concerns about legalizing magic, most of them not even questions but protests. The only real question is how magic will be regulated. “I will treat a person with magic the way a treat a person with a sword. If they use it to murder, threaten, and steal they will be punished in accordance to the current laws on murder, treason, and theft, if they use it to protect, heal, and aid, they will be rewarded in turn.”

After that Arthur calls a revote. This time 186 vote in favour, 26 against.

“Finally I would like to know what you think we should do with Uther Pendragon. I will not offer suggestions as to what his punishment should be but rather I invite you to make them.”

Some suggest execution, some banishment, some a lifetime in the cells or perhaps put to work in the mines, some suggest he be flogged and should he survive that he be allowed to make his own way in the world, other’s think he should be allowed to live peacefully in the castle. When Arthur revises the ideas and then calls for a vote most people are in the middle of the spectrum. Morgana’s hand shoots up when they suggest execution and Gwen, Arthur and Merlin all look at her in shock, she gives an unapologetic shrug.

“Alright, it seems the majority of you neither wish to see him necessarily suffer nor do you think he should go unpunished, so narrowing down the options; who thinks he should be banished?... And who thinks he should be put to work?... Allowed to remain in Camelot but stripped of all titles and riches an equal to any peasant? … Finally, remain in the castle under guard? Alright, would anyone like to argue why one of those is an ideal choice, or an unideal choice?”

Many agree that letting Uther remain in the castle is a drain on resources and potentially dangerous, if he is not doing anything to benefit the kingdom why should he continue to be provided with luxuries like fine food, expensive clothes, availability of servants to wait on him, and wouldn’t the guards’ time be better spent protecting against intruders? Not to mention Uther still might be able to gather a following or even just harm whoever he can. For that reason people are warry of him being banished as well, he could flee to another kingdom, ask an ally to help him regain the throne from his usurper son who is enchanted or something. With the state he is in though asking him to work the mines might as well be a death sentence. It seems to be agreed upon in the end that perhaps getting a trusted lord to house and watch over him might be ideal. He’d be treated kindly but not allowed to have the power he once did and would have to earn his living, working the land or serving the household in return for his keep.

“Very well, thank you all for tonight, you have given me a lot to think about and I’m sure I’ve done the same. It is late, a little past midnight, and we are all tired. We will think upon what was discussed tonight and see what tomorrow brings. As of now I believe it would be ideal if we all gathered in the throne room tomorrow evening at seven and we will hold a final vote to determine the future of this kingdom.”

The doors to the chamber are opened and few linger behind. What remains of the royal household ends up heading to Arthur’s chambers, Gaius included (while Geoffrey has goes to re-shelve his books), at which point Gwen starts giving Merlin guilty looks and wringing her hands while Arthur ensures Morgana really is all right and she admits she’s still in shock learning about being Uther’s daughter. Merlin finally succumbs to Gwen’s looks and turns to Morgana.

“My lady, I don’t think you noticed what I did in the council chambers but everyone else here now knows my secret it’s only fair you do as well, unfortunately there’s no easy way of putting this: I have magic.” She looks at him stunned. While she remains in shocked silence he continues, “Earlier I gave you some of my energy since you exhausted yours, that is when Gwen discovered the truth, Arthur has just learned of it a few hours ago, Gaius is the only in Camelot who knew of my secret before today. I apologize for not telling you earlier. You came to me and I as good as lied to you. While I was originally undecided whether or not to tell you when gave me the perfect opportunity I made a decision in haste, a decision I now understand was the wrong one. I listened to Gaius’ reasoning and decided it would be best if you remained oblivious in the hopes that it would keep you safe. In fear of my own life I made the promise not to tell you of my own magic but when I realized how much you were suffering I attempted to send you to the druids, a hasty and unwise decision that cost many lives and which I take full responsibility for. I have decided that while I will continue to take other’s advice into account I will listen to my instincts from now on. I hope you can forgive me. I haven’t much to offer but hopefully, if you’ll allow it and if Gaius is willing to help, together we can teach you to control your powers at least.”

“I-I can’t believe it. Today has seemed like a strange dream. May I- can I see it?” She asks hesitantly.

He decides to attempt a new spell focusing on the candles before them and moving the flames from the wicks rotating them around in a display before setting them back again all the while letting Morgana get a good look at his eyes.

“Merlin, that was beautiful.” Gwen says first and Arthur actually nods in agreement.

“I might be mad at you, I’m not sure yet. Forgive me for not putting your worries at ease but I fear if I make any hasty decisions tonight my feelings might change come morning meaning I have lied to you and I will not do that to you. I think it’s best if I will retire for the night. You said not to wear the bracelet that Morgause gave me but is there anything you can do to help me sleep?”

“The bracelet Morgause gave you is definitely enchanted but I’ll have to examine it further to actually see what spells she’s placed on it. I don’t recommend anymore sleeping draughts, we know that they are no longer effective in preventing your nightmares, they might help you get to sleep but they also prevent you from waking up, trapping you within your dreams until you are so afraid you wake up. It might take some time but I believe if you let the dreams run their course they will become less aggressive because they will come to you naturally rather than forcing their way through your sleeping draught induced state to reach your consciousness.”

Gaius speaks up at this point, “I have known many seers in my day, not many of them had the gift of premonition through sleep and those that did often had to perform a spell to dream of the future. I know of a few who did have visions similar to yours though. The druids knew of a way for anyone to be aware they were dreaming. It was called reality testing and took a while to learn but those suffering from nightmares of the unmagical variety or seers like you found it a very effective method. In essence the idea is that you perform these reality tests so often during the day that you begin to do them unconsciously and will eventually perform them even in sleep, when the reality test indicates you are dreaming you become aware of the fact and are able to step away from even the most realistic of dreams, observing them as an outsider thus without the fear they normally inflict. Apparently some people go on to learn lucid dreaming, something I don’t know much about but they could even dismiss their dreams or summon a new vision. I can teach you at least the first technique starting tomorrow.”

Her eyes soften, “Thank you, all of you, for all you have done for me tonight. Standing up for me and accepting me for who I am, protecting me from Uther, for telling me the truth, and for fighting for my right to live.” She stands and heads to the door Gwen on her heels and bids them goodnight.

Right before the door fully closes Gwen pokes her head back in, “It was you, wasn’t it, who saved my father?”

“Yes. I’m only sorry that you not only took the blame but that I was unable to save him later.”

She shakes her head tears in her eyes, “No, no don’t say that. Thank you Merlin. I got to have a precious few months more with him because of you, and it wasn’t like you intended to have me locked up, you did try to confess. Thank you Merlin, you’re a true friend.”

It’s just the three of them after that. “Have I done the right thing Gaius? The way the vote went tonight it is probable that Uther’ll end up working some lord’s land. Is that too cruel? I know he suffers from old battle wounds and he’s getting on in age.”

“Honestly sire, it’s a bit too early to say. Honestly I’m more concerned about his mental health rather than his physical. Given his past bought of melancholy, not to mention the medical history of his father and grandfather I fear what tonight’s events will do to him. He might withdraw into himself like he did after he chased Nimueh out of the castle, now that the excitement has died down and he’s left with his own thoughts, and this time he might not emerge from his own mind. The fit of the punishment cannot be determined until I observe the state he’s in. The people might change their vote as well tomorrow depending on how he behaves.” Gaius yawns at that point while Arthur mulls over what he said. “Forgive me sire, it’s way past this old fool’s bedtime and such excitement isn’t good for me, if you haven’t any more questions I’d like to retire.”

“Of course. Forgive me Gaius, and thank you for all your help today,”

“You’re welcome Arthur, if you need me in the morning for further questioning you know where to find me. Merlin, I take it you won’t be returning tonight?”

“No Gaius, I believe I’m staying here for the night.” Gaius just bobs his head like it’s a normal occurrence to discover your ward is the prince’s consort and with a polite nod to Arthur he leaves.

It is silent for a while after Gaius leaves, both of them lost in thought and just appreciating the other’s presence. “Merlin it’s late and I no longer wish to deal with tonight, let’s to bed.”

“Of course, I’ll prepare the chambers for the night. Would you like another rub down?” He inquires already moving about the room drawing the curtains, blowing out the candles, turning down the bed and heading over to bank the fire.

“No, just come to bed, don’t do anything that can be done tomorrow.” Merlin gives a glare to the clothes Arthur’s tossed on the floor knowing that if they remain there he’ll have to fight wrinkles in the morning. “Merlin,” Arthur calls from under the covers, “can’t you just use magic for that?” _Oh_. He can, can’t he? That’s a strange thought.

“Feels weird,” he tells Arthur as he heads over to bed and the chores start doing themselves.

“It’ll definitely take some getting used to… What are you doing?” He asks as Merlin makes to get into the bed.

“Um, getting into bed?”

“Take your clothes off, I did.” Merlin pauses, it’s become a normal occurrence for Arthur to sleep with his clothes off since he can’t be bothered to put anything on after his rub downs but Merlin’s always slept in his tunic and breeches.

“Why?” It’s sort of a rhetorical question, Merlin can already hazard a guess to what Arthur’s thinking.

“So that we can consummate our bond.” He says it confidently but the confidence slips rapidly away when Merlin isn’t moved immediately into action. “Do you- do you not love me that way? When you said you loved me earlier- did you mean as a brother? Do you- Am I revolting to you?”

“Of course not,” Merlin coos diving fully into the bed to brush kisses across his king’s saddened face. “Do not think such horrible things Arthur. It is not for that reason at all. But it’s late, and it’s a big day tomorrow. You’ve made a lot of decisions today that you might want to think over for a while and I do not want to make you feel like you are forced into being with me in that way should your feelings change. Besides, we are not even officially bonded, normally couples wait until their wedding night.”

“My feelings for you will not change. Please Merlin,” his voice takes on a begging tone, “I don’t know how to describe it but I feel I need you to let me have this tonight.” Merlin pulls Arthur to his chest as his tears begin to fall.

“That is exactly why it’s a bad idea. I know why you feel that way, you are mourning the loss of your father’s love. Even though it seems connected learning that your father is a monster and learning that he doesn’t love you are two very different things. He said horrible, horrible, untrue things to you Arthur and you are trying to cover up the hurt by turning to me for love. You fear that I will turn on you as well and that the only way to confirm my feelings for you and tie me to you is express ourselves in a physical manner. There are many more ways to love someone Arthur, many of them are healthier and stronger than physical intimacy. May I show you?”

Arthur nods, “Please,” he chokes out. It’s not exactly a spell, he didn’t find it in some book, adjust it from something he had observed, it didn’t need an incantation or really even a strong intent behind it. Sometimes he is inclined to believe it isn’t even magic at all because normally his eyes don’t flash, but no one else, to his knowledge, has been able to do anything similar. Despite the fact that Merlin had been able to move his toys around before he could even walk there was something Hunith discovered he could do sooner, something that came unconsciously to him, something that he actually had to learn to consciously suppress, and that was sharing his emotions. Whenever he made skin on skin contact with anyone they would feel what he was feeling and as he got older and began to care about other people he realized he could feel what they felt as well. This was almost a blessing for his mother, to simply be able to pick him up and immediately know if his nappy was soiled or if he was gassy, if he was hungry or afraid. Now though, when he holds Arthur he not only frees this part of himself but puts all his magic behind it pushing all his feeling, all his thoughts, towards Arthur.

Arthur gasps, eyes going wide in wonderment, “Merlin, Merlin, I feel so warm, so content, so safe, so… _so loved_. I feel as if I’m flying and glowing and as if I haven’t a care in the world that the- Merlin! Are- are those your thoughts I’m hearing?”

 _Don’t cry my king, I hate seeing you cry it means I have failed to protect you, even if just from sadness_. The thought is louder and more urgent, drowning out the others momentarily. The others swirl lazily within Arthur’s mind: _So brave and strong. Beautiful. I will protect you. You will be the greatest king Albion has ever known. Perfect. So kind and understanding, his heart is so noble. Never will there be a more honourable man. It is no wonder everyone loves him, even those who do not know it yet. But he is mine and I am his. **Mine!**_

“Yours?”

“Mine.” Merlin repeats out loud possessively drawing him into a kiss. _I will protect you, serve you, my purpose in life is to bring you happiness. I’ll love you until the end of time._

“And you are mine?”

“ _Yours._ ” Is said simultaneously verbally and in their joined minds. _I will be whatever you require me to be, servant, advisor, friend, consort, warlock, warrior, I love you so much that I’ll even let you love another if it makes you happy. I will give you an heir just to see the smile-_

“An heir, how are you going to do that? You can’t trade someone’s life so that I can have a son.”

“I wasn’t going to. We are both fertile, there’s no reason that should change if I turn myself into a woman.”

Arthur bolts up looking down at Merlin using his elbow to support himself, “You could turn yourself into a woman and carry our child to term?”

“Well, I… I’m not entirely sure. I only have one spell book but there’s an aging spell in there, if I alter the words a bit I should be able to manage a woman. Then again apparently such transformations can be difficult to maintain but my power seems to be rather limitless so the only thing I can think of that might be an issue is if being pregnant alters my magic somehow. Sorry, I probably shouldn’t have mentioned anything, I haven’t tested even the aging spell so I’ve no idea if it’s actually possible.”

Arthur falls back down with a thunk and then rolls back on his side raising his arm in invitation for Merlin to snuggle up. Once they are comfortable Arthur lays a kiss on Merlin’s head before saying, “It’s alright, I’m not sure the court would be willing to accept the child as mine if magic was involved in such a way. They’d fear someone’s life had been traded or believe you had just summoned a soul or something without my help meaning the child wasn’t actually mine. Perhaps if everything goes smoothly one day they will be more open and accepting but that will probably take decades.”

“Sorry.” Merlin mumbles.

Arthur raises his chin, “Don’t be. Thank you for showing me that, it was beautiful Merlin I feel great now, if not a little tired, it’s like you’re still doing it.”

“In a way I am, I’m just not putting my magic behind it to strengthen it, do you want me to stop?”

“Not really, it’s nice, but I don’t want to keep you up…”

“It won’t it’s more work for me to suppress it than to let it free.”

Arthur smiles at him, “Then you have my permission to do this always.”

“Always.” Merlin repeats before saying, “Let’s go to sleep, we’ve an important day ahead of us.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words cannot describe how done I am with this piece. As mentioned at the beginning it didn't really turn out as planned. I have gone back and polished everything and refuse to look at it any longer so if you find any grammar/spelling/wording errors that I have missed let me know and I'll go fix them but otherwise I don't think I'll ever look at this story again.

In the morning, which is actually closer to midday, Gaius’ fears are confirmed, sometime in the night Uther has become despondent, he won’t so much as eat or drink without someone bringing the food and goblet to his mouth, he wasn’t even bothered to use the chamber pot or lie down to sleep. When Arthur goes down to the cells to visit him he finds most of his anger has evaporated instead being replaced with pity.

While a few people stop Arthur and Merlin in the halls either to confirm rumours or to ask more questions no one shows any ill intent by trying to attack them or even threatening to do so. They do get reports though that Cenred is assembling an army of mercenaries. Fortunately it will take them several days to be ready to march, Arthur demands that everything be prepared in preparation for either a siege or to march out to meet them at the border but demands they go about it leisurely so as not to alarm the people under the hope that when Cenred realizes that Arthur is in full control and the kingdom hasn’t descended into chaos he’ll back down. “And if he doesn’t I’ll put up a wall around Camelot or kill him or something.” Merlin informs Arthur who looks a little shocked but then gets an appreciatory look on his face.

Some other interesting things that occur include numerous offers to help with the official union ceremony, offers to make them outfits, send out invitations, help decorate the hall, and help write their vows. There are also questions about when the official crowning ceremony will take place and if they can design an outfit or suggest a menu for the feast. Both Merlin and Arthur blush scarlet when some of the court ladies come up and offer to be the surrogate mother for Arthur’s heir, going on about how fertile they are, about how they have excellent birthing hips and maternal instincts.

Finally evening is upon them, there are even more people present tonight than there were last night but the throne room can better accommodate such a large audience and it is much more organized this time. People are standing in rows with an aisle down the middle and the dais at the front has been left bare. Merlin has put Arthur in his best clothes, the Camelot cloak sitting proudly on his shoulders and his circlet on his head. Gwen’s had the same idea, doing Morgana’s hair and makeup beautifully and putting her in a Camelot red dress. Merlin’s sure there was a crown for the Camelot princess at one point but it’s probably lost in the vaults somewhere so Gwen has made do with some jeweled headpieces. Similarly the Queen’s throne is probably also in the vaults and while harder to lose, is probably in dire need of a cleaning that no one had time for. Not that it mattered as the regular throne has been removed replaced with Arthur and Morgana’s chairs from the council chambers. Both take their seats there and Merlin and Gwen take up position behind them. They are early today and have to wait for the last of the audience to filter in, there’s so many people that they end up having to leave the doors open so that those outside may listen. Finally Arthur gives Leon the signal to bring his father in.

It takes several minutes as it appears Uther has to be carried as he will not walk by himself. It seems someone has shown him kindness despite the fact that Uther could have harmed them in a fit of rage. He has been bathed and put in clean clothes, his hair combed. Whoever did it though did not bother to adorn him with his regular jewels or crown, he’s actually dressed rather casually. Arthur stands and signals for silence.

“Thank you all for coming this evening. The time for debating is over, tonight I ask that all present make a decision as to how the future of Camelot will unfold. Unfortunately it seems things have changed overnight, Uther Pendragon appears to be no more than a shell of a man right now and we’ve no idea if or when he’ll recover. Based off of this information and the vote held last night where only a small handful of you said you wished him to continue ruling Camelot I can no longer offer that as an option. I’m not comfortable leaving a man who cannot even attend to himself in charge of the kingdom. That being said the first vote being held tonight is whether you will accept me as king. Everything we discussed last night remains valid, for those of you who were unable to attend and have not heard of what that entails I will briefly summarize: As king one of the major changes I wish to make is the legalization of magic, I’ll treat magic like any other weapon, and instead of punishing someone because they possess the weapon I will punish or reward them based off of how they use it. For those of you concerned about succession it was revealed last night that Lady Morgana is actually my half-sister, should I fall in battle she has agreed to look after Camelot with the help of my soon-to-be consort, Merlin of Ealdor. Should I not obtain a blood heir or adopt a child Morgana’s children will claim the throne. One other thing I have considered changing is the first rule of the Knight’s Code. I have meet some great fighters and even greater men in the last few years and cannot help but think it unfair that those who wish to serve their country and have proven their worth are unable to and so I propose that with the removal of this rule anyone may try out to become a Knight of Camelot. As the need arises more changes might be made but for now this is what my rule would entail. That being said please raise your hand to vote and keep them raised so that the servants at the end of each row can count the number in favour and report to Lord Monmouth. Not raising your hand will count as a ‘not in favour’ vote. All in favour of me becoming the next king of Camelot raise your hands.”  Perhaps they just needed to think it over, perhaps they needed to see Uther like this, perhaps they needed to discuss it with their friends and family and become more polarized toward their decision but Merlin can immediately tell that not only is the vote in favour, it’s in strong favour, over 75% of the audience has raised their hands. Arthur still waits for the official count before declaring, “Then by the power you’ve invested in me, my first act as king is to declare magic legal in Camelot!” The crowd cheers, some just politely and others with feeling.

And then something amazing happens, people within the audience start using magic. Some release puffs of smoke, others produce lights, others still cause flowers to bloom and images to form. Some people look slightly terrified, others start laughing and making sounds of awed wonder. Merlin chances a glance at Arthur and Morgana and realize they are as shocked as he seems to be. Servants, farmers, courtiers, councillors, tradesmen, women, children, men, of all types and ages, all of them have been here all along. So many more than what Merlin could have ever hoped for.

Geoffrey as no nonsense as ever calls the audience’s attention back to the dais. “The official crowning ceremony will take place here at noon three days hence and will be followed by feasting and festivities.” The crowd cheers again, more restrained this time.

“Friends, citizens of Camelot, we have one more decision to make tonight and that is what happens to the old king. Last night the majority of you were in favour of sending him away to work someone’s lands or help their household, now he is in no fit state to do so. I understand many of you might still believe him to be a drain and undeserving of our resources but he is unable to fend for himself and I’m not sure I feel comfortable executing a man, no matter how horrible his crimes, when he is in such a state. Again I ask you to vote, this time if you are not in favour of the vote we will come up with alternative options but for now I ask you to raise your hands if you believe Uther should be allowed to remain in the castle under guard for the rest of his days, should he recover enough to work then he will do so, all in favour?” Roughly the same number of people raise their hands. Many of them might not understand the full horrors Uther has committed and even if they do, no one is perhaps cruel enough to wish a horrible fate on an obviously broken man.

Things proceed as planned, Arthur is crowned king and Morgana princess and Uther remains locked in his chambers. When Merlin goes to free the dragon Gaius tells him about his father whom he is able to find and bring back to ensure Kilgarrah goes in peace at which point Cenred’s army turns around mid-march when they catch sight of thedragon, his dragonlord, the dragonlord’s son and the newly crowned king. Hunith almost faints when they land, not so much because of Kilgarrah, she’s braver than that, but to see her long lost lover and then later to hear the news of the legalization of magic, and to receive invitation to Arthur and Merlin’s wedding. They stay the night with her before heading back to Camelot the next morning, giving Balinor and Hunith some time alone together, both of them promising to be there when their son is crowned consort.

It’s shortly around this time the rumors start. Everyone knows of Merlin’s magic now, he’s the son of a dragonlord, teacher of a witch, apprentice to Gaius. Merlin pays no mind to them because he knows they aren’t true and truly believes that the people will soon come realize that, that they are just a result of their fear of change.

They have a beautiful wedding and an even better wedding night. Merlin refuses to act as Court Warlock “/sorcerer/mage/ whatever you want to call it _Mer_ lin” because while he is arguably the strongest person with magic he actually knows very little about it and he doesn’t want to be taken away from Arthur’s side. While Morgana is more than capable of handling the duties the queen would normally deal with Merlin doesn’t want to break too far from tradition and decides to preform them himself. These duties though take up a lot of his time and he finds he regrets not being able to spend a lot of time getting to know his father (although they do occasionally go on adventures, the best one so far being to fetch a dragon egg and hatch it, although a close second is when the meet a man called Gwaine in a bar fight who goes on to become a knight and after many years of flirtations finally manages to court Morgana). As such Balinor decides he wants to live in Camelot to be close to his son, of course Hunith follows. The only reason she had stayed in Ealdor as long as she had was in hopes Balinor would return looking for her. Balinor ends up becoming Court Warlock, Hunith starts out helping Gaius but once the magic school is founded finds herself acting as physician so that Gaius, along with Balinor and Morgana can teach full time at the school.

Several kingdoms attempt to test the new king and their efforts are quickly squashed. The rumors grow. They say that Merlin uses his power to bully lesser kingdoms into joining with Camelot, that he’s destroying the natural order of things. Those displeased with things encourage and strengthen the rumors. They start saying that Merlin has Arthur under an enchantment. That he forced magic upon Morgana because she has always been Camelot’s beloved daughter and more people would be willing to accept magic if they associated it with someone as kind as her, because she couldn’t possibly be evil. Some say he caused Uther’s mental affliction. Others say he isn’t satisfied yet, that now he’s consort he’s waiting to strike, to claim Camelot after they’ve united all of Albion. It’s become a title of sorts, innocent children call him it not because they mean it, they often don’t even understand the meaning behind the word, they’ve just heard so many people call him by that name that they do as well. Arthur’s furious when he finds out, and he has to find out through Morgana because he doesn’t believe Gwaine when he first reports it.

Some of Merlin’s close friends attempt to stand up for him, Lancelot and his wife Guinevere, Gwen’s brother Elyan, Percival a large fellow and skilled fighter that travelled to Camelot with Lancelot, Gwaine and Morgana, Merlin’s parents, Gaius and even Geoffrey. Often though their actions only strengthen the rumors, the people say that he’s just enslaved another mind, using them as puppets to defend himself all the while remaining visibly innocent, getting others to do his dirty work. While his friends and family are unhappy about it they learn to let Merlin deal with it in his own way. They learn that instead of trying to protect Merlin’s image their energy is better spent trying to protect Arthur’s view of his people. They dare not let the words reach his ears for they have seen the lengths he will go to in order to protect Merlin.

Life goes on.

Despite the problems Merlin may face Albion has reached her golden age. The world has never been more peaceful or prosperous and so Merlin is happy.

A few years into his reign Arthur decides that he does want to be a father and deems the world peaceful enough to safely bring a child into the world. Merlin has tried the aging spell and has successfully changed it into a spell that will change his sex and even had Gaius ensure that he was fertile as a woman and would be able to carry Arthur’s child to term in preparation for this day. He knew Arthur would want it eventually and the only unknown variable is the effect carrying a child will have on his body and magic.

But Arthur surprises him, bringing up arguments from their first conversation. He says that especially now with the rumors going around, his punishment of an afternoon in the stocks seemingly unable to dispel the handful of tongue wagers (and if only it were just a handful), the only way they’ll accept the child as Arthur’s is if he births it. It throws Merlin’s plans completely out the window. To turn Arthur into a woman, is it even possible for Merlin to influence another’s body in such a way? Arthur’s never even spent time having a regular woman’s body. Merlin can say from experience that it’s disorienting, being shorter than what you’re used to, being proportioned differently, the backache, that apparently most females are so accustom to they’ve become oblivious to it, that’s result of the weight on their chests. For Arthur to attempt pregnancy on top of it all?

He’s insistent though. Merlin refuses to jump head first into it; first he practices on rats, changing their gender and seeing how long he can maintain it. Once that is perfected and he knows he won’t harm Arthur he has Arthur spend some time as a woman and while he is disoriented, as expected, he seems to quite enjoy it much to Merlin’s dismay. Finally there are no more tests Merlin or Gaius can conduct, Merlin isn’t comfortable with Arthur’s safety not being guaranteed but the only thing left that they’ve been unable to test that might make this unsafe is actually carrying a child to term, Arthur’s sure to point out it is no more risky than what Merlin had originally planned to do. He doesn’t want to put Arthur at risk but he’s promised to make him happy and Arthur’s made up his mind, this will make him happy.

Arthur becomes pregnant after their first attempt and he’s incredibly smug about it. It reminds Merlin about that time right before Arthur was crowned king when all the ladies were going on about how fertile they were. Arthur enjoys the attention, even the glares he gets from women half his age that weren’t able to conceive that easily. Everyone is prepared for the worst since Arthur has always been a terrible patient, he can’t stand being idle or feeling less than fighting fit but he’s a surprisingly good trooper. According to other women he’s also incredibly lucky, he only throws up once in the first trimester and he develops the glow some women speak of, he insists on staying active for as long as possible going down to help Leon train the knights, doing short patrols, just going out for a stroll or a ride (something he never used to do saying it was a waste of time but he’s sure to point out to Merlin that soon he won’t even be able to do this and he’s just appreciating his freedom while he can). The hormones are a bit of an issue. The pregnancy seems to affect his memory and his patience (Merlin believes it is because he is already being patient with everyone by being up and about and playing king when he really just wants to lay down, eat, have a nap and a good rub down). While most of the time he is able to behave in a perfectly normal fashion he has burst out in giggles a few times, and tears, and, in conjunction with his lack of patience, fits screaming and throwing things.

Overall though he’s very good about the whole thing; allowing Hunith to poke and prod at him every week and following her orders dutifully, allowing Merlin to take on some of his duties and coddle him, he’ll sometimes protest when people tell him to rest but if they keep insisting he will. He just doesn’t want his condition to influence the condition of the kingdom. Of course it already has although Merlin and their friends are very good at keeping it from Arthur.

The number of attempts on Arthur and Merlin’s lives has increased drastically. So have the number of citizens leaving Camelot. The rumors are doing another round and Merlin’s iron self-restraint is wavering when he hears that they are referring to his beloved king as his bed slave or breeding bitch. He is able to keep up the pretense of normality for now although he fears the time their child will come into the world, not only will there be another person to protect but they’ll be completely defenceless, an easy target for any who seek to harm them. Merlin also doesn’t want to hear anything negative about their child, to have their child have to listen to the horrible things people call its parents, or even itself.

Arthur’s nearing the end of his seventh month when everything changes.

It starts off as a normal day, Percival has returned successful from his first mission as leader. He and his group of knights had found and defeated a group of slave traders and brought the leader back to Camelot to face trial. Arthur wants to reward him by treating his closest knights to a night in the tavern. Arthur thinks Merlin is worried about Arthur drinking or that the smell will upset him or that he’ll tire but Merlin knows the kind of talk taverns inspire.

He’s thankful the man is only speaking ill of him, in comparison to some of the rumors now being spread this is nothing more than a regular day-to-day discussion, but it’s enough to enrage Arthur. If the baby’s and Arthur’s health wasn’t at risk it’d almost be funny seeing Arthur waddle around in rage, trying to defend Merlin’s honour. But it’s not funny, Merlin’s worried, he was unable to protect Arthur this night, and while Arthur may still be uninjured in the physical sense he is unhappy, Merlin has sworn to make him happy and he has failed. There can be no next time for it will only get worse. It is these thoughts that prevent him from reaching sleep and only when he decides that he will do something come morning, that he will no longer be passive about the issue, that he’s able to reach sleep, his hand resting protectively over Arthur and their unborn child.

The last thing he expects is to be awoken by a crazed Uther pulling Arthur from within the safety of his arms, out of their marital bed, one hand slowly suffocating him, perhaps unintentionally, as it covers his mouth and nose, the other clutched around an ornate dagger, poised over Arthur’s womb, threatening to cut out their babe if Merlin does not release Arthur from his enchantment immediately. He can hear the guards running in the hallway, at least trying to find their newly aware and escaped prisoner. Merlin doesn’t wait for them, doesn’t call for them or anyone else, doesn’t even seek an alternative. Within a blink of an eye Uther Pendragon is no more than a smear of blood and guts on the wall. Arthur collapses, wailing in fright and anguish while he tries to resume breathing, Merlin holds him and tries to calm him by sharing his love like they did on that first night so many years ago but it isn’t helping because Merlin’s too consumed by his hate and failure, by his need for revenge, need to protect, his fear of failing, like he almost has tonight. The guards finally burst in alerted by the commotion. They stare open mouthed at what remains of Uther Pendragon and then at the golden eyed beast who stares unwaveringly at them from where he clutches the wailing king.

Arthur exhausts himself and falls asleep once more, some servants come in to clean up the mess gagging and exchanging horrified glances. Merlin all the while stands protectively over his mate, a threatening presence to all in the room. It turns out the dagger was enchanted that Uther’s actions were a result of it and he was probably unaware the entire time, still lost in his mind. Merlin only cares about finding the creator. Before the night is done he’s traced the magic back to Morgause who still works with Cenred, who’s recently become an ally of Camelot, at least on the surface. Both have died the most painful of deaths before the sun has risen.

When Arthur awakens Merlin abandons his work and spends the day tending to him. His mother stops by to check on the health of Arthur and the child, both appear thankfully all right although Arthur in a bit of a shock. Visits from their friends seem to help, he even begins to go over tax reports. When he finally retires for the night Merlin slips out of bed and heads for the desk a few steps away where he can resume last night’s work while still protecting Arthur. The sun is rising and the birds are chirping when he finishes but it is done.

They called him The Manipulator so that is what he became.

The following day there is an epidemic in Albion, people start collapsing and complaining of shortness of breath, saying it is as if someone were trying to strangle them. Some people have actually died of suffocation. The thing all the survivors have in common that they begrudgingly report is what they were doing at the time. All of them were talking ill about Merlin, the king, or their unborn child. One of the deceased was even found to have been in the midst of an assassination attempt.

People immediately suspect but the moment they try to share their suspicions they find themselves unable to breathe. It doesn’t matter how they try to communicate it’s always the same. The most freedom Merlin allows them is the ability to glare at him, he will not be pelted with a single rotten fruit again, he will never have to hear their words again, they will never be able to hurt the man he loves again.

He’s left them with enough freedom, they do not need to speak such horrible things to live peacefully, do not need to attempt such horrible things. He could have killed them all and been done with it, he could have made them all his puppets, only allowing their actions after he reviewed and approved of it.

He’s done it for Arthur, for Camelot. He’s keeping his promise to Arthur, protecting them, ensuring Arthur’s always happy. They gave him no other choice.

After years of their unfounded rumors, years of giving them the benefit of the doubt, believing that they will learn the errors of their ways, he has finally given up on them, on the goodness of humanity, becoming exactly what they have been accusing him of all along. He’s used his magic to manipulate them. Their only options now are to submit to his will or crease breathing. Should they find a way around his spells he will not hesitate to retaliate. If necessary he will strip away their freedom until they are but souls imprisoned in puppets’ bodies and he will be the puppet master.

Merlin had no intention of becoming the villain but if it means protecting Arthur he will embrace the role the assigned to him.

_The Manipulator sits upon the throne of Albion beside the Puppet King_

_A once golden prince who is now so caught up in The Manipulator’s string_

_That he believes he’s in control_

_Denying everything negative that he’s told_

_Blinded by The Manipulator’s magic_

_Unable to observe our lives, oh so tragic_

_Let them not hear this song_

_For we fear you shan’t live long_

_Day to day we toil in anguish_

_Waiting for a hero to come and vanquish_

_The Manipulator, whom we unwittily created_

_His existence was not originally thus fated_

_We now know our words had power_

_That they are the reason why we now cower_

_Through our fear, our hate, and resistance_

_The Manipulator we shaped into existence_

_Let these new words manifest_

_Into a future where we are unoppressed_

_At least guide us back to destiny’s path_

_That though doth end in a bloodbath_

_Where King Arthur’s existence must cease_

_In order for his peasant queen to bring about peace_

_We have made up our minds and are unbending_

_In return we sacrifice their happy ending_

_With this song we ask to be set free_

_All gods and goddesses who hear us please make it be_

They called him The Manipulator so that is what he became.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with me. All comments, questions and constructive criticism are welcomed.
> 
> And now, in order to celebrate spending my weekend editing this, I get to squeeze eighteen hours of readings, studying and assignments into the last four hours of my weekend, joy!


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